A View of Endless Worlds
by Beowulf Gudbrytare
Summary: Remnant stands on the brink, their heroes blissfully unaware of the threats. But what if a certain being decided to step in? Inspired by "Paths of the Arc" by Sixsamchaos, the cast of RWBY, and a few other guests are brought together to have a glimpse into the Multiverse. Can their mysterious new ally aid their preparation against Salem? And what are this being's motives? Curious..
1. Chapter 1: Prologue

**AN: Hey guys! Sorry I've been gone so long, college apps, family issues, and et cetera, et cetera...but I'm back with a new little story!**

 **I've been reading loads of reaction stories such as "Endless Possibilities" by JC of the Corn, "Paths of the Arc" by Sixsamchaos, "Jaune's Multiverse Theory" by BookishTen8, and "Into the Edge of the Naruto-verse" by Juubi no Shinju. Mostly the middle two to be honest, so please take a look at their works, they're very good. But these stories sparked some inspiration, so this will be a reaction fic, but with some twists!**

 **So these are the main bits of the story that will be goals, more or less.**

 **1\. I want to entertain you all with a nice reaction story, with showcases of stories on the site, as well as possible timelines and realities from my mind that are too half-baked for a full story**

 **2\. I want to try and make a story that is both original and a reaction story...if that makes sense...you'll see.**

 **3\. One thing I've always wanted to see is a reaction not to the alternate realities and such of the character's world...but also our world. Our world is so strange, and mysterious, and has such a fantastical tale of its own to tell. So I wanted to see if I could try and show some of that splendor and such of our world.**

 **4\. Warning, there will be OCs and crossovers in this fic, including one of my own creation (obviously) with his own backstory and such.**

 **This is my first reaction story, and honestly, I haven't watched RWBY past the first half of Vol. 3 where shit starts to go bad, but I do know more or less what goes wrong. So please bear with me if some of the reactions or information is not entirely right. Constructive criticism will be appreciated greatly, but flames will be extinguished and deleted promptly.**

 **Also, I am looking to contact other authors in hopes of using some of their stories in this one, and any suggestions will also be appreciated!**

* * *

 **Disclaimer: I, Beowulf the Divine Emperor, do not own RWBY or any crossover material that is used in this story. I only own my OCs and my own twist on the genre of Reaction Fic. RWBY is owned by the late, great Monty Oum and Rooster Teeth. All other material falling under "crossover" belongs to their respective owners.**

 **This chapter in particular has a lot of parallels with Sixsamchaos's reaction fic, and he has given me permission to use his story's first chapter as a foundational piece.**

 **In fact, he graciously beta-read this chapter for me and has been a great help in bringing a lot of this story to life. So do go ahead and check out his works as well.**

* * *

 **This story begins during Vol. 3, but before the main events of the Fall of Beacon, during the Vytal Festival.**

* * *

~The Void between Worlds:Unknown~

A figure shrouded in darkness sat upon a carven throne of crystal, his gaze occupied by an orb of light levitating above his palm. Bright, heterochromic eyes of gold and platinum looked on in guarded curiosity as the orb suddenly shimmered a shade of black. The being's gaze sharpened before the hand clenched into a fist, shattering the orb.

The being seemed to be still for a moment, before rising to his feet, his eyes glowing with an ethereal, iridescent light. "Hmm...seems I'll have to step in...again." He paused, as if thinking something through. A small smirk curled his lips. "Well, at least it's not direct interference this time...they can't get on my case for this, especially once this world is set right."

"Besides...I'm not the first to do this sort of thing, and I won't be the last." The light in the figure's eyes grew ever brighter as its determination surged. "And I **won't** let that fate happen again! Not here!"

A grin settled on the being's face as the light in his pupils grew in intensity. The light flared brightly as it shone throughout the building and the Void. **(1)**

* * *

~Beacon Tower: Office of Headmaster Ozpin~

It has been several days since the Vytal Festival began and the Tournament went underway. For most people, this would be a time of celebration and such, if it weren't for the fact that it had also been quite a few days since the Breach.

Thankfully, the reconstruction efforts were highly effective and now nearing completion, and civilian casualties were kept to a bare minimum. Despite this news, it was clear from the atmosphere that the headmaster was most certainly **not** in a good mood. A sentiment that was shared by the deputy headmistress and General of the Atlasian Forces. The tension was thick in the wake of such events, and none dared to disturb it quite yet.

" _S_ _lurp, slurp._ " The sound of drinking from a flask was obnoxiously loud.

Winter frowned deeply, glaring at the source of the...unpleasant noise. "Qrow, can you not?"

The perpetually drunk Hunter stopped drinking and burped a little. "Oh sorry, thought we were done sitting in silence."

Ironwood and Winter growled a little at Qrow, bringing the tension in the room even higher.

Ozpin was **not** amused. "Report."

Flashing an admonishing glare at Qrow, Ironwood turned to the headmaster. "The Breach has significantly hampered our efforts, causing a backlash against both Beacon and my own forces."

Winter stood next to her superior officer, nodding in assent. "Indeed, even though the festival has eased some of the tensions in Vale, it is clear that there is still some discomfort and uncertainty from the populous."

"Fortunately there have been no further complications from the Grimm, according to our Hunters and James's troops," added Glynda Goodwitch, before sighing quietly. "It is especially fortunate that teams RWBY and JNPR were able to respond so quickly to the Breach..."

Qrow chuckled as a drunken grin plastered itself onto his face. "Heh, yeah...my nieces are badasses." Winter sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose at the Hunter's antics as a vein throbbed on her forehead.

Ozpin, however, smiled quietly at the mention of the two first-year teams, his most promising in a long time. He opened his mouth to change the topic, but before he could utter a sound, a noise akin to a thunder blast resounded throughout the room as a blinding, iridescent portal seemed to tear itself into existence in the middle of the office. Shocked, the group immediately shifted into defensive positions, ready to attack.

"What the hell is-?!" Qrow didn't get to finish that sentence as the portal appeared to engulf the group before collapsing with a small _pop_ , leaving the office empty. **(2)**

* * *

There was very little sound coming from the dorms as Team RWBY enjoyed the aftermath of their victories against ABRN and FNKI. The time off from their classes and their...investigations, lets say, was greatly appreciated. They were busy having a lazy day, having no real drive to do anything. Ruby was sprawled over the edge of her bunk, reading magazines about weapons (no surprise there), Yang was messing with her hair, Blake was laying on her bunk reading some new novels she'd acquired, and Weiss was busy entertaining herself with (read: spoiling) Zwei.

A wail of annoyance came from Ruby as she tossed the magazine onto her bunk, hanging over her bunk's edge. "I'm so boooooored!"

Weiss frowned, looking over at her leader. "You're the one who suggested that we have a 'lazy' day. This is your fault."

Ruby just whined more, hanging off her bed and groaning on and on about her boredom.

The Ice Queen's eyebrow began to twitch in annoyance at her leader's childishness.

Whatever Weiss would have said devolved into a scream as a bright portal of light ripped itself open in their dorm with a thundering _Boom_ , sucking up the four members of Team RWBY and their little mascot. Once again, the portal collapsed in on itself with a _pop_.

* * *

"I...Nora? What is this?" The voice of a very, _very_ confused Jaune Arc made itself known in the dorm.

"It's my sloth enclosure, Fearless Leader!" Nora giggled as she played with a sloth as more seemed to slumber on a tree...that was somehow inside of their dormitory...

Much like Team RWBY, Team JNPR was also enjoying their new down time from their classes inside their dorms. Nora, along with her beloved Renny's help had somehow done...it was difficult to process. What had greeted Jaune and Pyrrha's eyes was a decently sized tree, artificial or real no one was entirely sure, covered in 10 to 15 sloths, one of which the excitable Valkyrie was playing with. Just looking at the sheer absurdity gave Jaune a headache.

"Um...Ren? Just...how?" The stoic member just shrugged, his face betraying no emotion. "I have no idea..."

Turning to his partner for some support, Jaune saw Pyrrha staring into nothing, absently playing with one of the sloths on the branches. Jaune's brow furrowed in a frown as he took note of his partner's recent distance. He noticed that she seemed to have something weighing heavily on her mind, but whenever he confronted her on the subject, she always made an excuse or changed the topic to divert attention.

He was torn. He wanted to respect her space, but at the same time, he didn't want to let her suffer in silence. He wanted to help, but in the end he let her keep her silence. Pyrrha was just as stubborn as himself at times and he didn't want to strain their relationship.

"You okay there Pyrrha? You seem really out of it..." asked Jaune cautiously. Pyrrha flinched a little at being caught off-guard.

"Oh! Um..no! No, everything is just fine. I-I think the excitement from the tournament is just wearing at me a bit is all." Jaune peered at her with worried suspicion before turning back to...whatever the hell Nora had done.

"So again, um...Nora how did you do this?" Nora shrugged and grinned widely. "I have my ways." Ren sighed quietly, pinching his nose a little at his friend's antics.

Any other words were silenced by the shock of a bright vortex bursting into existence in their dorm, the thundering blast startling them as portal engulfed the group. The portal then hovered, facing the sloth enclosure before smaller portals seemed to form and engulf the sloths. _"The Vale Zoo will greatly appreciate this I believe..."_

The portals then disappeared with a small _pop_.

Similarly, several other portals formed and collapsed across Remnant, each carrying their own precious cargo to their Master.

* * *

With perfect synchronization, the dimensional gateways reformed and promptly spat out their cargo before collapsing with an air of finality. The result? A comical scene as the group of teens, adults, and one fluffy corgi cried out as they fell into a pile of bodies, followed by grumbling and growling as they attempted to untangle themselves.

"Owie..."

"Ugh...and I thought hangovers were bad..."

"Hey! Watch the hair!"

"Sorry!"

"Get off my skirt Arc!"

"Please get off of my bow?"

"My apologies Miss Belladonna."

After several minutes of reorientation, apologies, and stretching after the uncomfortable entanglement, everyone stood to inspect one another, some eyes widening in surprise, after viewing some familiar faces.

"Wait...Dad? Uncle Qrow?"

"Sister? Mother?!"

"Ruby? Yang?"

"Blake?"

"Mom? Dad?"

"Nora!"

"Can everyone just chill out for 5 seconds?!"

.

.

.

.

.

"Okay, what in Oum's name is going on right now? Where the hell even are we?" asked Qrow suspiciously as the group now took in their surroundings.

They stood in a very large area, **massive** in fact. It was as if one had fused a large movie theater with a throne room/hall. The floor was of smooth, green granite, with huge pillars of black gold, studded with shimmering orbs, spiraling up to meet the ceiling. And what a ceiling it was. All of the group stood still for a moment and admired the ornate ceiling, decorated with images inlaid with an assortment of gems and rare metals.

Ruby picked out a little image of a child in a hood and cloak of ruby, standing behind the child was a wolf carved from pale pearl.

Yang's eye was caught by a carving of a girl with hair of woven gold with three bears.

Blake felt a pang of guilt and some other emotion that she couldn't understand as she stared at a carving of a woman in black onyx standing with a hulking beast in red almandine garnet.

Weiss gazed curiously at a woman carved from pale opal gazing at an apple colored a sickly green.

Jaune stood enraptured by a mosaic of a woman in armor with a lance leading an army against another army.

Pyrrha looked at a carving of a warrior in armor similar to hers, felled by an arrow to the heel, and felt a chill go down her spine.

Nora giggled as she pointed out a carving to her best friend Ren, of a man garbed in furs and armor driving a chariot of goats and wielding a hammer in hand, lightning and thunder crackling around him.

Ren did not see it however, he was staring in curiosity at another carving, this one a woman in armor, wielding a sword and fighting in an army against barbaric hordes.

Qrow's eyes narrowed at a image of a man with one eye sitting upon a throne, with a raven sitting on each shoulder. **(3)**

After a moment longer of admiration, the group looked away from the ceiling to view the rest of the room. In front of them was a very large movie theater screen attached to the ceiling that appeared to be off and blank at the moment. The walls were very curious indeed, as multiple orbs seemed to be embedded into them, a myriad of colors as they pulsed with light (the very same that studded the pillars supporting the ceiling everyone noted), as well as writing in silver and gold that none could decipher. Multiple sets of double doors were seen on both walls, wood, but very intricately carved. Beyond the screen were a much larger set of double doors, tall and forged of gold with intricate designs and...glowing slightly. Behind them were two massive columns, black as night, yet shining and glowing slightly with a light all their own, and behind/between those columns was a sight that made the teens gasp in awe and the adults stare in amazement.

A throne made of carven crystal that shone like a nebula in the night sky, with runes of power engraved and inlaid with a metal that seemed unearthly in composition, shimmering a shade of black. A leather pad and cushion coated the seat of the throne. Steps of pure gold led up to the throne, each one inlaid with silver writing, again, indecipherable. Yang had to grab Ruby's shoulder to keep her from going and sitting in the "big chair" as she said, as did Ren to Nora.

Qrow scowled in confusion. _"Why hasn't anything happened yet? This is too strange...what the hell is happening now?"_

"All in good time, bird." A male voice, rich and royal, echoed throughout the room as a dark figure made himself known from behind one of the two great columns. A series of clicks resounded throughout the room as the tall figure walked out from behind the pillar, though his form remained cloaked in shadow.

"Who are you? Are you the one who brought us here?" The General of Atlas inquired while gripping his revolver, the others in the group leveling their weapons upon the figure.

Seemingly unconcerned, the man did a small headcount. "2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12...17? Hmm..we are missing some people..."

Yang growled a little at the man's unconcerned demeanor and the fact that he'd ignored them. "Hey! Pay attention! Who the hell are you?"

"All your questions will be answered in just a moment Yang. Geez, you're much more impatient than I remember..." The man muttered to himself as he shoved his hands into his pockets, his head bowing in thought. "I suppose I can bring them in later..." Yang's eyes flashed red at the little slight against her and being ignored once again.

Ironwood frowned deeply, brandishing his revolver. "Answer the question!"

The man sighed a little, "My apologies, I haven't been a good host so far. I am indeed the one who brought you all to my realm. You are currently in the Void, the Void between Worlds, otherwise known as the Great In-Between, the Eternal Gap, the Howling, et cetera, et cetera."

He stepped into plain view of the group, allowing them to view their kidnapper. Many of the assembled women couldn't help but blush.

The man was tall, standing a good 4 inches above Ozpin and Ironwood, but appeared quite young, maybe 19 or 20 years of age. He had light brown skin, with longish, messy black hair that seemed to frame his face with an almost regal air while the small stubble on his face added to his semi-rugged appearance. He was quite broad-shouldered as well, well-built, and the muscle through his clothes betrayed his strength. He wore a dark green dress shirt of sorts, leaving the two top buttons open to show a portion of his slightly hairy chest, over which he wore a very long, armored trench-coat, seemingly woven from Night itself with pauldrons of steel and elbow armor pads with the tail end of the coat dragging slightly along the floor, making it somewhat of a cloak. His hands were covered with clawed, segmented gauntlets of deep red metal, with strange protrusions along the pinky fingers' sides **(4)**. A belt with a buckle of bronze held up a pair of jeans with knee armor pads and his feet were clad in combat boots with toes and heels of steel. But what was most intriguing were his eyes. His eyes were heterochromic, the right shone gold while the left shone platinum. His pupils were vertical and slitted, like a predator. A comfortable smirk curled his lips as he stood tall with his hands stuck in his pockets. **(5)**

Qrow smirked quietly, not taking his eyes off of the potential enemy. "Great names, very dramatic, much like yourself huh?"

The newly revealed man chuckled a little, completely at ease despite his predicament. "Yes, I suppose I do have a flair for the dramatic, though I wasn't really the one to choose the name, I just live here."

Ozpin lowered his cane, stepping forward though still tense. "Am I correct to assume that there is a reason for why we have been brought here?"

The man nodded, walking towards the group while casually waving a hand, causing everyone's weapons to seemingly disintegrate, much to the group's horror.

"What?!"

"How the hell did he-?!"

"MY BABY!"

Now standing in front of the group, the mysterious being smiled in amusement. "Relax, please. I have simply sent your weapons and such to another part of my home. I didn't want any fighting to come up from any misunderstandings." He then turned to the sulking Ruby with a playful smirk. "And don't worry Ruby, you won't be parted from Crescent Rose for too long." The little red reaper brightened at the statement.

Weiss frowned at the strange man that stood before them, gazing distrustfully at him. "Then you sir, are doing a terrible job at that." The man blinked a little, before leaning to the side, peering at the rest of the group. Taiyang was standing protectively in front of Ruby and Yang alongside Qrow and Zwei, Winter and Willow stood threateningly behind Weiss, Ghira and Kali were holding Blake while glaring at him, and the rest of the adult body seemed to stand in defensive formation against him.

He chuckled a bit weakly, scratching his head in embarrassment. "Heh, erm...sorry about that." He straightened, giving them his warmest smile. "My sincerest apologies, but I truly mean you no harm. In fact, I have brought you here to help you in your future."

Ozpin stared at him intently, gauging his countenance for any signs of lying. Finding none, he sighed, glancing at his inner circle before facing the man once again.

"Explain please."

Yang's voice piped up again, irritation clear in her tone. "Hey! You better answer our questions first!"

"Yeah!" Ruby pouted a little.

The man grinned, with everyone noticing the long canines in his mouth, almost like fangs. "By all means ask away then!"

Blake, who had been silent for all this time, spoke up." Hey...where are our other friends? Like Sun and Neptune?"

"They are currently indisposed, much like the rest of your Reality." The man glanced at the movie screen, as it flickered to life and showed Sun and Neptune joking around near Beacon, except for one small issue that everyone noticed. They aren't moving, as if frozen in a single moment. The scene splits again and again, each showing another friend of theirs in their daily lives, but all of them having one similarity. They weren't moving. They were all frozen in a single moment.

Ruby giggled at some of the poses that the people had been caught in. "Looks like you hit the pause button." She pointed out.

Yang's eyes widened slightly in realization. "Uh...Rubes? I don't think he paused the screen..."

Blake stared in shock at this...this **impossibility**! "Time...he stopped time..."

The man nodded with a smirk. "Correct. Time has been stopped in your Reality."

Everyone turned to the man, staring in awe, suspicion, and a little fear. They had threatened a being powerful enough to stop time like it was nothing? Definitely not someone to be trifled with.

Ironwood narrowed his eyes at the man. "How...how are you capable of doing this? Who are you?"

"Are you a God?" Nora asked with a excited grin on her face. Who else could wield such a power like stopping time? Imagine the amount of pancakes she could make before breakfast...

Ozpin stiffened at the mention of Gods, which went unnoticed by the main body of the group, as Weiss shook her head. "No, that's ridiculous."

The man seemed to look crestfallen, his eyes widened in mock shock. "Me? A God? No!"

Weiss smirked at Nora. "Told you."

"I am **far** beyond something so **tiny** as a God."

"WHAT?!"

Ozpin quirked an eyebrow, curious. "How so?"

The mysterious man smirked at the group of teens and adults. "In every universe, there are beings of tremendous power and might. Beings capable with planetary devastation, mass genocide, all with a single strike. With these powers, these beings are unrivaled and proclaim themselves as 'Gods.'"

A shiver ran down the spine of everyone present. So much power...many dreaded to imagine if a being of cruelty wielded such power.

Nora, however, had stars in her eyes at the possibility of having so much power at her hands. "I could break...so many legs...all of the legs..." Ren sighed as his friend giggled excitedly.

"But I," the man suddenly began to levitate, his arms crossed and his eyes beginning to glow with iridescent light. "I am **far** above a simple God. People fear Gods. Gods fear **me**. I guess you could say I'm God of Gods." A pained expression ghosted over the man's face, "Or rather...a monster of sorts..." He muttered quietly to himself. **(6)**

The expression was gone as fast as it had come such that only Ozpin, Ruby, and Jaune caught it. The man waved a hand towards the walls of the room, the orbs pulsating with light. "A planet is nothing to me, not when I can shatter and reforge universes with ease. Each orb you see is a single universe that I watch over."

Pyrrha's eyes widened along with everyone else's. "Each of those orbs is a single universe in itself? But there are hundreds of them!"

"An infinity, Pyrrha. An infinity of Realities that I watch over."

Qrow coughed loudly, drawing everyone's attention away from the awe-inspiring idea. "This is all well and good and all, but why are we here? I'm pretty sure you didn't bring us all here to explain to us the Multiverse and whatnot."

"No, I haven't. I have brought you all here to view portions of the Multiverse, especially involving your own Reality and all of its complexities: the RWBY-verse."

Team RWBY brightened slightly at the mention of their name, curiosity seizing their attention. "RWBY-verse?"

The man chuckled. "You see, within the vast realm of Creation, there exist multiple universes, you know this already. But each universe, or group or universes, is specific to their realm or Reality. All of them are similar, yet different, with these differences ranging from minor to major. Many of these Realities, center around the actions of a singular individual or group of people. In your case, the RWBY-verse is the Reality which focuses on Remnant and the lives of Team RWBY. Following so far?"

The group nodded eagerly while Weiss raised an brow. "So we're going to be watching alternate forms of ourselves?"

"Eeeh, not quite. While many that we see will have alternate versions of you, the ones we will be seeing most will be focused on one individual in particular. A Person-of-Interest, if you will." The man explained, leading the group to glance at each other in confusion.

Ozpin pushed onward for curiosity's sake. "And this person is...?"

The man grinned as his heterochromic gaze fixed on Jaune, his eyes shining softly with light. "Three guesses. First name starts with J."

Everyone followed the stare as Jaune's eyes widened.

"Me?!"

"JAUNE?!" RWBY and NPR yelled in shock.

The grin widened. "Yep! He is one of unique status in your Reality. A person that many universes focus on as a 'main character' if you will. Often times, these universes involve changes in certain events occurring in your world. I would go in detail, but surprises are much more fun."

Pyrrha glanced at her partner, who looked like he was getting dizzy from the information overload. _"Unique status?"_

"What do you mean 'changes' exactly?"

Their host smirked a little. "Some examples would be Jaune as a King, him following a different path to a Hunter, or maybe choosing not to be a Hunter period. Or maybe some would focus on his interactions and relationships with others, especially with Team RWBY and his own team."

Jaune muttered softly, "This is insane..."

"Wait...what do you mean by 'relationships?'" growled Taiyang as the other parents's attentions sharpened.

Snickers were heard from their host's fanged mouth. "Well...something like those RomComs or harem animes that exist...and considering that Jaune here is the 'protagonist' in these, you can take it from there!"

An enraged growl emerged from both Taiyang and Qrow as they glared at the blushing Arc, ignoring the reddening faces of team RWBY and Pyrrha. _"The hell he'll be near my daughters/nieces!"_

Jaune gulped as the men glared down at him, hallucinating a vision of Death with his scythe grinning over them. "Help..." He whimpered.

Even Ghira Belladonna leveled his own glare at the Arc boy as the other adults looked on in amusement or intrigue.

Ozpin cleared his throat, gathering the attention once again. "Even then, that doesn't explain why we are here specifically. As amusing or intriguing as viewing these universes could be, I doubt that is the only reason."

Their host's grin faltered, a grave expression marring his handsome face. "A great evil is soon to descend upon the Land of Remnant, and it is my hope, no, my plan to prepare you all for when it comes. Or rather, when **she** comes." The headmaster frowned. "You know of whom I speak of Ozpin..."

"Salem..." Ozpin's inner circle gasped as the others in the group looked on in confusion.

The aged headmaster turned to the rest of the group, sighing quietly before nodding to Glynda. The deputy headmistress stepped forward.

"I know you all are confused so I will clarify on behalf of headmaster Ozpin. There are certain pieces of information about Remnant that the public, and even the Councils, are blissfully unaware of. One piece of information is this: the Grimm are not simply, mindless creatures. They are being controlled a force, a being who we have been fighting for some time. Her name is Salem, a witch of sorts who commands the Grimm."

Everyone, save the inner circle were shocked. "What?!"

"Y-you can't be serious Miss Goodwitch." denied Kali, her worry for her young daughter growing steadily.

"I'm afraid she is, Mrs. Belladonna. Deathly serious." The man stepped in, his grave expression now all the more serious. "This is why have gathered you all here in earnest. I am here to prepare you for the trials that you may face in the coming war against Salem and her minions."

Willow pressed her fingertips to her temples, massaging gently. "This...this is a lot to take in...but then, why are we here? It seems more that Ozpin and the children will be involved, so why bring us parents?" She asked, gesturing to the parents assembled.

The man regarded Willow for a short moment, before smiling warmly. "The children are young." A yell from the teens came, muffled slightly "Hey! You look as young as us pretty much!"

He ignored the outburst and continued. "It is only fair that the parents stand by their children in order to mitigate any damage...speaking of which..." The man turned away, facing the wall with his eyes closed.

Ruby cocked her head in curiosity. "What is he...?" The man's eyes snapped open, flaring with starlight as a new portal burst into existence in front of him. A smile was on his face as he moved to the side of the portal.

Footsteps echoed through the room as everyone watched a few familiar faces emerge through the bright vortex.

"M-Mom..?" A hopeful whisper carried itself through the chamber from Ruby's lips as a familiar white hood and cloak emerged from the portal.

"Yes my little Ruby..." A teary smile formed on the face of the long-dead Summer Rose.

"Mom!" Ruby and Yang shouted as they rushed towards the mother they had once lost, tears falling freely as they ran.

Likewise, Lie Ren stood in silent disbelief as his deceased mother and father stopped in front of him and a worried Nora. He reached out with shaking hands and touched his mother's hand. _"Warm...which means..."_

"My goals reach far more than simply ensuring Salem's defeat." The man's gold and platinum eyes twinkled with warmth as he watched the tearful reunions with a happy smile. Ozpin and the others simply watched in silence, their own emotions rising in torrents at the beautiful scene before them.

Silent tension mounted in Taiyang and Qrow as they stepped forward. Ruby and Yang stepped aside, wiping away happy tears as they watched. With a shaky hand, Taiyang cupped Summer's cheek, taking in every last feature of his lost love's face.

"S-Summer? Is it really you?"

The woman smiled, opening her arms as tears threatened to spill from her eyes. "Aren't you going to give me a hug, Taiyang?"

And with that, the dam broke. Taiyang wrapped his arms around his beloved tightly, unwilling to part with her for even a second and taking shaky breaths in the form of gasps. With tears on both sides, the two kissed passionately, reunited from beyond the grave.

"Hey, what about me huh?" Qrow opened his own arms, amused but just as emotional as his family.

With a cracking laugh, Summer broke the kiss before pulling Qrow in for a group hug as the three members of Team STRQ reunited after so long apart.

Meanwhile, an emotional Ren quietly introduced a nervous Nora to his own parents, Li and An Ren. The excitable girl was surprisingly subdued as her crush introduced her to his family.

After giving his guests a few more moments of emotion, the man clicked his tongue, drawing everyone's attention. "As you all can see, I invited a few more to enjoy these new realms with us."

"But why? And how? Summer Rose and Mr. Ren's parents are..." Glynda trailed off, simply gesturing to the resurrected 3.

" **Were** dead. They **were** dead." The man corrected as he simply slipped his hands into his pockets with a smile. "It's all quite simple really. In addition to learning from these viewings and training within the Void, I intend to resurrect several individuals and heal others. Think of it as an increase in your chances of success."

"You...you returned them to life...how?" Ironwood seemed to run the words through his head repeatedly, his mind rebelling at the thought of such a miracle. All others stared in awe of their host's power.

"You forget Jimmy," Qrow was quietly snickering at this, not that the man cared enough to acknowledge it, "I stand **above** Gods. Returning life like this is no issue for a being such as myself."

Qrow whistled and regarded this mystery benefactor, "Then why do all of this? Why not just pop down on Remnant, kick Salem's ass, and leave the Grimm for us to handle?"

The man seemed to deflate slightly. "Beings like myself are limited in what we can do to affect Realities. A policy against direct interference if you will. I can aid you indirectly like this, as much as I want, but unless a threat on par with me is found in Remnant, there is little I can do..." A sheepish grin suddenly crept across his face. "I've gotten too many warnings and threats from the others too..."

Everyone raised their brows at that. "Wait, you've interfered in our Reality before?!"

"In a few universes yes...they didn't like that very much and I got told off. You might even see some of these universes that I've tampered with before."

Glynda looked at their host with a curious, yet disciplinarian expression. "How often did you directly interfere?"

"...a lot..?" He chuckled a little. "Kind of a rule breaker when it comes to this policy I guess, and it is a BS policy..." The man didn't elaborate and satisfied with her answer, Glynda nodded, if a bit disapprovingly. **(7)**

"So wait, is that why you acted like you knew us?" asked Yang. The young man nodded, and the pieces clicked into place. _"So that's why he acted so familiar!"_

Ozpin straightened his glasses, still reeling at such a shocking display of power. "You still haven't told us who you are though. Who are you?" Everyone leaned in at the thought of learning their new benefactor and ally's identity.

The man chuckled, baring his fangs in a grin. "My name huh? My name is Beowulf Gudbrytare. anything else...you'll find out later." Teams RWBY and JNPR face-faulted in annoyance. Even though they had a name, there was still so much mystery?! Ozpin, however, narrowed his eyes in curiosity. Something about that name seemed familiar...

"Now then," Beowulf seemed to melt into shadow before reforming behind them, nearer to his throne, "will you accept my offer?"

All eyes looked to Ozpin as the headmaster thought over the proposal and all he had seen. He turned to the gathered group of teens and adults. "I believe Mr. Gudbrytare's offer is very sound. We should accept it, after all, we could learn a great deal about what could come and new ways to counter Salem."

Ironwood stroked his chin in thought, muttering in approval. "The extra training would help as well..."

The two teams nodded, with Nora grinning in anticipation. "We get to see Fearless Leader and ourselves from different worlds? I'm in!"

Beowulf grinned as he heard murmurs of approval and agreement from the Inner Circle and the students. He glanced at Summer, Kali, and the other parents, and his grin faltered at the worried looks they wore. Sighing quietly, he walked over to them, particularly Summer and Kali.

Gently taking their hands in his, the otherworldly host gathered the parents' attention to himself. "I understand that none of you want your children to get hurt, but remember, they chose this path. The path of warriors. They will be involved in this war, one way or another. However, by letting me show you all of this and giving you time to prepare, I can increase everyone's chances of survival and victory." He gave the mothers' hands a squeeze to make them look into his eyes.

"I swear to you now, all of you. So long as I stand here, I will do all I can to aid your children." The two mothers looked at Beowulf in awe as his eyes of gold and platinum glowed, showing a determination as hard as diamond. The parents' expressions shifted to one of determination as well.

While they hated the idea of letting their children fight this war, they would gladly stand with them on their decisions. Stepping forward out of the group, Taiyang nodded his assent to Beowulf. "Alright, we'll join in on these viewings."

"And joining in on the training too," added Kali.

Ghira went to try and speak, but stopped at the determined glare he received from his wife.

"I will not sit idly by while my little girl goes to battle Ghira. I'll be fighting with her."

"But Mom," Blake started before her mother's glare turned to her.

The former leader of the White Fang smiled at his wife, standing at her side. "Then it looks like I'll have to make sure my claws are nice and sharp."

Seeing the determined, yet somewhat uncertain faces, Beowulf smiled and looked up towards the ceiling, dimming the lights. With a click of his fingers, he conjured up several couches and loveseats facing the screen in rows just in front of the crystal throne. "Please take a seat and we'll begin shortly!" He spoke animatedly with a grin on his face, facing the screen as the group took their seats. Teams RWBY and JNPR sat in the two couches in the front row of the room, while Taiyang and Summer sat in one of the loveseats behind Ruby, with Zwei happily snuggled up between the newly-reunited couple. An and Li Ren sat behind their son on another love seat, while the Belladonnas took the last loveseat. Behind them sat Ozpin and his colleagues on the last couch, situated in front of the cushioned throne. Beowulf smiled again, as he set up the screen, before freezing in place suddenly, his smile wiped from his face.

Beowulf turned to the group with a sudden look of seriousness. "One more thing before we can begin." Confusion worked its way across the group's faces.

"I will not lie to you all. These worlds consist of endless possibilities. Creatures and threats greater than Grimm may exist, people may not have Aura, and Dust may not exist in these worlds."

Weiss and the Inner Circle in particular looked surprised at such possibilities but nodded. Ozpin raised an eyebrow in question. "Then what is the issue that we needed to discuss?"

Beowulf grimaced a little. "I am telling you all of this because some of these universes will shock you. The Jaune Arc you know, is not the only one, as I've told you. But you must understand...he affects Reality in ways that cannot be predicted, be they good or bad."

Teams RWBY and JNPR's eyes widened questioningly. "Bad? How could Jaune be bad?!" Ruby gasped quietly with Pyrrha looking at Jaune with worried eyes. The nerdy knight was starting to feel dizzy again at the prospect of multiple versions of himself, all different in their own ways.

Yang crossed her arms under her ample chest, frowning a little before chuckling. "You've got to be kidding right Wulfie? 'Cause I can't see Vomit-boy over here as bad or evil."

Beowulf blinked at the nickname. "Huh...forgot about her nicknaming thing...Wulfie?" He muttered to himself before straightening and looking toward her with a solemn expression. "Unfortunately Yang, I can think of quite a few off the top of my head where Jaune goes off the deep end..."

Weiss frowned, mimicking Yang's pose. "Prove it. I refuse to believe that Arc can be evil. In any world."

The otherworldly being seemed to shuffle in concern as he glanced at the adults gathered nearby, before sighing and pinching the bridge of his nose. "I...I could show you one such world. But I warn you, it may distress you greatly. In fact, a good portion of what I show you all will cause you distress. Would you like to continue with this?"

Everyone stole glances at each other before Ozpin nodded. "We all have already agreed to all of this Beowulf. Whatever evil occurs in these worlds, we will know and ensure that it never occurs in our own."

Nora smirked. "Bring it on! We can take it!"

The trench-coated man scanned the determined faces in the room, before vanishing into shadows and reappearing next to the throne. He turned back to the screen after climbing the steps to the crystal chair, his countenance surprisingly grim. "Be careful what you wish for Nora."

He sighed as he sat down casually on the throne, looking at his guests. "I assume our first viewing will be of an evil form of Jaune?"

Weiss, still confident, scoffed a little. "If you can find one. Besides, how bad could he be?"

Beowulf looked to the screen, his eyes shining once more with iridescence as a dark red orb, pulsating to a silent beat of four, broke away from one of the pillars, "So be it..." He sighed.

The red orb floated towards the screen before sinking into it. The screen rippled like water before stilling and shining with white light.

"I'll show you a mere **glimpse** , at how **bad** Jaune Arc can be..."

* * *

 **AN: And there we go. The prelude to the many viewings to come. I hope you all enjoyed it**

 **Sorry about all of the information dumping, but I wanted to set the scene along with adding in a few hints to the future in this fic that I will be working on.**

 **Please leave a review to let me know what you all think about the story and where you think I should take. Any constructive criticism is highly appreciated, as are any suggestions to stories I should have the group react to!**

* * *

 **Footnotes:**

 **(1) And there I am in spirit! Beowulf will be further fleshed out in future chapters with his own backstory as to how he came to be as he is (Spoilers: He wasn't always a "God of Gods")**

 **(2) These are meant to be similar to the Villain Darkseid's Boom Tubes.**

 **(3) Each carving is a reference to the person that the character is based on. Ruby is Little Red Riding Hood, Yang is Goldilocks, Blake is Beauty from Beauty and the Beast, Weiss is Snow White (you all know this). Jaune is the legendary Joan of Arc, Pyrrha is Achilles, Nora is Thor, and Ren is Mulan (again, pretty simple stuff). Qrow is one of the ravens in the carving of Odin, namely Muninn. I was surprised I never noticed honestly, as I thought the main character Qrow was based off of was the Scarecrow from _Wizard of Oz_.**

 **(4) Imagine the Doomslayer from DOOM: Eternal's armblades, but on both arms.**

 **(5) As for character design, I took a page from my Indian heritage and based my OC's looks off of the Indian actor Yash from the hit movie _KGF: Chapter 1_. It is an excellent movie for anyone, and I highly recommend it. In fact, expect a scene from said movie to appear in this fic at some point.**

 **(6) Rest assured, I'm not going to put my OC as some ridiculously perfect, powerful being. When he says, "God of Gods" he means it more as a title. A title that he earned through great hardship...Again, Beowulf has his own backstory and issues that he'll be confronting in this story.**

 **(7) This attitude towards Non-interference is based off of the Doctor's from** _ **Doctor Who**_ **. However one might find that Beowulf's interference is for much bigger reasons. Reasons that his fellow Watchers ('Gods') may not approve of much.**

 **Well that's that. Thanks for reading guys!**

 **Toodles,**

 **Beowulf.**

 **Next time:**

"Is the machine singing?"

"Here! Come! The Drums!"


	2. Chapter 2: The Sound of Drums

**AN: Hey guys! Thanks for all of the feedback in the Reviews, it really means a lot. And I definitely didn't expect such a massive amount of them to come up! A very pleasant surprise to say the least. Now to answer any questions and/or concerns about where I'm taking this story:**

 **I saw this concern pop up multiple times, so I'll just say it as a whole.** **This fic will not be only Jaune-centric universes.** **While Jaune will serve as a focus for most, I do have plans for them to view universes that focus on other characters within the cast. Hell, at some point, I might let them view into our own universe. Our Earth's history, and our mythologies. But rest assured, Jaune won't always have the spotlight on him.**

 **As for why it's usually always Jaune, I have somewhat of an idea. It's because Jaune, at least near the beginning of the series, is pretty much a blank slate and an underdog. Everyone loves an underdog. Plus, his existence as a "blank slate" allows for so much experimentation and ideas as to where his character can be taken. That just isn't as possible with many other characters, as their own characters are more developed (?) and harder to tweak without getting readers angry.**

 **I will be taking some requests, but within reason. Please do not put down massive lists of possible stories for me to work with. I understand that there are a few that I could do for sure, but it's a hassle to work through it all. I do have a list of sorts for the universes that I will show them, so those will be taking precedence.**

 **Muffinlord4life : Thank you! I'm glad you're enjoying it. And regarding the idea of being Jaune-centric just read what I said up there ^**

 **alaude** **hibari : Sorry to disappoint you I suppose? I've already answered a lot of this up there ^, but to clarify, No he won't be like this in every universe. I can't promise that there might be a few in which this is the case, but it certainly won't be all of them.**

 **HalloweenJackal0w0 : Thank you for the suggestion! I'll be happy to take a look and see how I can work it into the story. And damn, I forgot about _Blink_! I should find a way to fit it into the story in some way, but I did say this first one would be a bit darker.**

 **armentho : Ooh that sounds like a good one to look into, I'll be sure to try and work one out at some point.**

 **NoNameNoBrain** **: Thank you for the compliment! Also, I like your name.**

 **Stratos263 : Thank you! And while I haven't watched Berserk yet, I'll definitely find a scene or two that I can put in.**

 **Freddie46 : Ooh Watchmen would be a great one to put in...**

 **book l** **over** **reader : Um...I'm sorry? I already said my part on the subject up there ^ so if you want to stick around, sure but whatever I guess.**

 **merg** **ed** **zamasu : I have not seen DBS so I'm not sure. I'll try to find the scene for that, so we'll see.**

 **xirons20 : See the above ^**

 **the** **Composcreator** **: Ooh thank you for the offer! I'll definitely take a look at your fic for a future reaction. As for the others, I'm not entirely sure, but we'll see.**

* * *

 **Disclaimer: I, Beowulf the Divine Emperor, do not own RWBY or any crossover material that is used in this story. I only own my OCs and my own twist on the genre of Reaction Fic. RWBY is owned by the late, great Monty Oum and Rooster Teeth. All other material falling under "crossover" belongs to their respective owners.** **In this case, _Doctor Who: The Sound of Drums_ is property of the BBC.**

 **This has also been beta-read by Sixsamchaos. So please do take a look at his work as well!**

* * *

"I'll show you a mere _glimpse_ , at how _bad_ Jaune Arc can be..."

The group leaned forward in curiosity as the screen's light began to dim slightly. An evil Jaune Arc?

"The Reality this universe is part of is actually a favorite of mine...so much time and effort poured into it. So many events in this world, it's honestly hard to keep track. I'm just going to show you a little moment from it." Beowulf mused, resting his chin on his clawed, gauntleted fist.

"What about the rest of it?" Ruby cocked her head curiously.

Beowulf chuckled sheepishly. "The timeline is...convoluted to say the least. If I were to show you the whole of this Reality, we'd be here for ages."

Yang smirked a little, feeling a bit confident in her prediction. "Sounds like you're stalling Wulfie~." She spoke in a sing-songy tone.

Their host huffed in slight annoyance. "Just for some context, this universe tends to focus on Ren as a time-space traveler. In this realm, he calls himself the Doctor, and currently is in his 10th incarnation."

Ozpin perked up slightly at 'incarnation.' "When you say incarnation, what do you mean?"

"You see, Ren's species, known as Time Lords, has the unique ability to cheat death by completely changing his appearance and personality." Beowulf explained.

"Wait, species?" Winter asked curiously.

Beowulf smiled. "Correct Ms. Winter. A completely different species from Humans. Faunus do not exist in this Reality, and in fact, neither do the Grimm." Everyone's eyes, especially the Belladonnas', widened in shock at such a possibility.

Quickly getting over her disbelief, Blake furrowed her brows in confusion. "But you still said species..?" Beowulf grinned at the cat faunus's catch.

"Is Renny going to be a bug-eyed alien?!" Nora gasped.

Weiss scoffed and rolled her eyes dismissively. "Of course not. It's highly unlikely that Ren will an alien like one of those old cheesy movies or those alien abduction stories from Vacuo. **(1)**

"Actually Weiss, Ren is an alien in this." Beowulf confirmed with a smirk. Nora grinned in excitement as everyone else gaped in surprise.

"But he will appear human."

"Awww..."

Jaune, however, was confused. "Wait, you haven't mentioned me yet. Where do I come in?"

Beowulf's smile morphed into a grimace. "You, Jaune, are also a Time Lord, known as the Master." A chill went down the gathered collective's spines.

"W-what does that mean?" Pyrrha asked hesitantly. Beowulf bit his lip a little before turning back to the screen. "It would be better to show you I suppose..."

Everyone nodded and turned back to the screen, a slight sense of unease gnawing at them as they watched.

 **President Ironwood of Atlas and a large group of armed Atlesians acting as his escort approached a much older-looking Jaune and Pyrrha, similarly surrounded by Valean soldiers. All were wearing formal clothing and coats to deal with the slight chill. Ironwood and Jaune wore black coats, whereas Pyrrha wore white.**

 **Jaune mock-saluted Ironwood with a small smirk on his face. "Mr. President sir!"**

Winter looked at her superior. "You are President of Atlas, sir?"

Ironwood nodded, similarly surprised. "It appears I am..."

Taiyang watched the screen with interest, as did Qrow. "Why are Jaune and Pyrrha meeting with the President of Atlas?"

Beowulf simply gestured for them to keep watching.

 **Ironwood did not look amused. "Mr. Saxon. The Valean army will stand down. From now on, UKIT has control of this operation."**

"UKIT?" Ozpin glanced at their host in confusion.

"Stands for 'Unified Kingdom Intelligence Taskforce.' They are in charge of defending the planet against all threats, especially extraterrestrial. Ren was actually a founding member." Ren seemed impressed with his counterpart's actions.

Blake tilted her head in confusion. "Why is Ironwood referring to Jaune as 'Saxon'?"

"It's an alias. Harold Saxon."

 **Jaune seemed to blink in mocking surprise before responding in a low, somewhat joking tone. "You make it sound like an invasion."**

 **"First Contact policy was decided by the Four Kingdoms 25 years ago. You've just gone and ignored it."**

Qrow smirked at the other Ironwood. "No wonder Jimmy looks pissed. Him and his protocols."

Glynda and Ozpin, however, did not share Qrow's sentiments and frowned. In any other case, they may have let the lack of attention to protocol slide. But for something like First Contact with aliens? That was just disrespectful and very dangerous.

"First Contact huh? So the people of Remnant are going to be introduced to aliens?" asked Yang, so far unconcerned with everything. No evidence of Jaune being evil so far.

"There have been many alien invasions and encounters over the years, but this is the first time that official contact will be made," clarified Beowulf.

 **"Well you know what it's like...new job, all that paperwork. I think it's down the back of the couch. I did have a quick look, I found a pen, a sweet, a bus ticket..." Jaune went off on a little tangent of his own, completely unapologetic and disrespectful to Ironwood.**

RY of Team RWBY and Nora laughed a little at the blatant disrespect, while Qrow smirked more and more. "I'm kind of liking this version." Winter sighed, facepalming a little.

"Of course you would..."

Everyone else, however, were more on edge. Something wasn't right about how Jaune was acting...

 **"And er...have you met the wife?" Jaune pulled Pyrrha over, who smiled and held out a hand to Ironwood. She clearly heard the words that Jaune and Ironwood had been exchanging and didn't care a single bit.**

Pyrrha blushed deeply, as did Jaune. "W-wife?!" She glanced at her crush, who was just as red in the face as her. Despite the small bit of unease, everyone laughed at the duo's embarrassment.

"Ah young love." Ozpin smiled.

 **Ironwood looked at the two in suspicious, guarded confusion. "Mr. Saxon, I'm not sure what your game is, but there are provisions back at the UK to have you removed from office, unless you are very, _very_ careful. Is that understood?"**

 **Jaune widened his eyes comically in disbelief, before miming to zip his mouth shut.**

Nora turned to her team leader so fast, it was amazing she didn't get whiplash. Her eyes were bright in awe. "Are you Vale's Prime Minister?!"

The nerdy knight just gaped at the screen, just as confused and amazed as everyone else. "I...guess I am..."

Yang whistled with a smirk. "Well damn Vomit-boy. Looks like you made it in this life."

Beowulf simply grimaced in anticipation.

Meanwhile, many of the adults frowned deeply. "He has something up his sleeve. He definitely shouldn't be so carefree about losing his position...right?" Kali looked to her husband.

Ghira pressed his lips together. "No, no he shouldn't." The former White Fang leader affirmed, while Willow nodded in agreement.

 _"Jacques, that asswipe..._ _"_

 **The Atlas President ground his teeth a little in annoyance. "Are you taking this seriously?"**

 **Jaune nodded, still exuding an air of 'I don't give a damn about any of this,' one which Ironwood pointedly ignored.**

 **"To business. We've accessed your files on these...Toclafane." Ironwood spoke as Ruby, Ren, and Sun appeared on the screen. Ruby wore a red leather jacket and jeans, Ren wore a pinstriped three piece suit with a long overcoat and sneakers, and Sun wore a large Army greatcoat. They seemed to stand quietly in the background, watching the proceedings with quiet anger.**

"Hey! There's me, Jaune, and Sun!" Ruby pointed at the screen in glee.

Yang watched in curiosity. "Wait, why are those two with Ren?"

"In this universe, Ren has a habit of traveling with companions, like Ruby and Sun, who joined up with the two later."

"What do you mean by 'companion'..?" Yang, Taiyang, and Qrow seemed to glare slightly at Ren, who started sweating a little.

Beowulf looked at them in confusion. "Companion as in a friend who he travels with." The glares ceased and Ren gave a sigh of relief. His parents smiled and patted his shoulder reassuringly.

Pyrrha watched the three on screen, her eyes furrowed as she frowned. "You all seem really angry at Jaune it looks like."

Everyone else nodded in agreement, quietly wondering why.

 **"But first contact cannot take place on any sovereign soil. To that purpose, the aircraft carrier _Valiant_ is en route. The rendezvous will take place there at 8 AM."**

 **Jaune tried to speak with his mouth closed, mumbling obnoxiously.**

At this point, everyone, including the students were frowning at the other Jaune's behavior.

"No offense Jaune, but your other acts like a jerk." Ruby said bluntly.

Jaune simply nodded. "Agreed..."

 **"You are trying my patience, sir." Ironwood seemed to be 5 seconds away from strangling the Prime Minister.**

 **Jaune held up a finger to forestall any other talk before unzipping his mouth. "So, Atlas is completely in charge of the situation?"**

 **Ironwood snapped a little, foregoing any formalities. "Since Vale elected an ass? Yes! I will see you on board the _Valiant_."**

 **"It's still will be televised though...won't it? Because I promised and the whole world is watching!" Jaune smiled.**

"...Not only did he break protocol like that, but he also promised that it would be televised?!" Ironwood and Winter scowled at the onscreen Jaune, while Weiss frowned in disappointment.

"Looks like he's an even bigger dolt in here than he was when we first met!" Weiss proclaimed. Both teams immediately glared at her as Jaune winced slightly, scratching his head sheepishly. "Erm...no offense."

"None taken I guess."

 **"Since it's too late to pull out, the world will be watching," spoke Ironwood in a harsh tone, turning back to Jaune. "Me!"**

 **With that, Ironwood turned away, Jaune's smile still on his face before turning a bit sinister.**

Ozpin frowned at Jaune's facial shift. "I do not like that..."

Everyone else nodded in agreement. Something definitely wasn't right.

 **Now everyone stood on the aircraft carrier _Valiant_** **, a massive carrier that amazingly, was in the sky, not the ocean. Jaune sat in a chair next to Pyrrha and some other dignitaries as Ironwood seemed to talk himself up to introducing the Toclafane to Remnant. Camera crews were stationed near Ironwood, ready to capture the moment.**

 **Ruby, Sun, and Ren were also present, still in the background and completely unnoticed.**

The group's eyes gaped in awe of the Valiant. Ironwood was especially enraptured. "An aircraft carrier in the skies...incredible."

Beowulf chuckled and nodded. "In the absence of Grimm and other issues, tech has advanced far more than you would believe."

Blake watched the three onscreen in confusion. "Wait, how are they on there with Jaune and Pyrrha? They aren't dignitaries, and no one's noticing them."

"Each of those three are using a gadget called a perception filter. It doesn't make you invisible, but as the name suggests, filters your perception, making you unnoticed. Provided you don't do anything that draws extreme attention," explained Beowulf.

"Wow..." Ruby said to herself as she geeked out over such an invention.

 **Ren seemed to be slowly moving towards Jaune, just as Ironwood spoke with a confident, charismatic smile. "I now present to you all, the Toclafane." He said, gesturing as the Toclafane in warps of light, small technical noises sounding from them.**

 **The Toclafane appear to be spherical in appearance, just over the size of a human head and made of a strange metal. Lights danced up and down grooves in the Toclafane's metal shells.**

 **Ren stopped for a second, narrowing his eyes slightly in suspicion, before continuing towards Jaune.**

 **The screen then showed the people at home, viewing the spectacle in awe and disbelief.**

Everyone gasped at the appearance of alien lifeforms (Jaune and Ren didn't count). They looked so otherworldly and strange.

"Oooh wow! Look at that, guys! Aliens! I wonder what those shells are made of, maybe they're something like the metals back home!" babbled Ruby, talking a mile a minute in her excitement.

"So these are the aliens that Jaune wanted to introduce to Remnant? Don't see a problem so far..." Pyrrha looked on in confusion.

Beowulf grimaced more, knowing what would happen. "You'll see..."

Glynda, however, was preoccupied with something else. "Why did Mr. Ren look so strangely at these...Toclafane?"

"In this universe, Ren has been traveling through time and space for over 900 years...and he knows such a race doesn't exist. They're a myth from their home planet." Suspicion began to mount regarding this new race of alien. The group glared at the spheres with skepticism.

 **Ironwood turned to one of the spheres closest to him with a nervous smile. "My name is James Ironwood, President Elect of Atlas, and designated representatives of the United Kingdoms. I welcome you to the planet Remnant and its associated moon."**

 **A displeased male voice with a metallic, electronic edge came from one of the Toclafane. "You're not the Master!"**

 **Another metallic voice came from another, this one female. "We like the Mister Master~."**

 **The male voice came again as the sphere swerved towards Ironwood somewhat threateningly. "We don't like you!"**

Everyone began to grow concerned for Ironwood's wellbeing as the Ironwood onscreen began to show more and more unease.

Summer held Zwei in her lap as the dog growled at the Toclafane. "Something isn't right..."

Their host simply nodded, a grim expression on his face.

 **Meanwhile, Jaune steepled his fingers, raising his eyebrows comically at Ironwood's predicament, smirking a little. Ren, however, continued his approach towards Jaune.**

 **"I can...be Master, if you so wish. I will accept mastery over you, if that is Oum's wi-."**

 **The male Toclafane interrupted with an exasperated, condescending tone. "Man is stupid. Master is our friend."**

 **"Where's my Master? Pretty please?~" The female spoke again.**

 **Jaune grinned, throwing his hands up and rolling his eyes. "Oh all right then, it's me!" He said with a wide smile, standing up and sliding in front of the cameras, waving his hands. "Ta-da!~"**

"What is he doing?" Weiss said in annoyed confusion, as Blake leaned closer, her instincts on high alert saying that the situation was not good at all.

Beowulf simply gestured to keep watching.

 **The Prime Minister of Vale laughed. "Sorry sorry, I have this effect, people just get** _ **obsessed**_ **." Jaune grinned as he gestured with his hands wildly, as Ren tensed, looking around at the guards, dignitaries and camera crews.**

 **"Is it the smile?" Here Sun and Ruby glared at Jaune, frowning deeply as if wishing Death to strike him down right then and there.**

 **"Is it the aftershave? Is it the capacity to laugh at myself? I dunno! It's _crazy_!" Jaune kept grinning as he addressed the public through the cameras.**

"Geez, Arc must have done something really bad to piss you guys off," noted Qrow as he took another swig from his flask.

Ozpin's grip on his mug tightened as the tension seemed to grow. "Please be quiet Qrow."

The avian Hunter, noticing how tense his friend was, fell silent.

 **"Saxon, what are you talking about?" Ironwood frowned down at Saxon from his position on the small staircase.**

 **Jaune crossed his arms, his grin now replaced with a chilling frown of utter contempt.**

 **"I'm taking control, Tin Man. Starting with you." He turned to one of the Toclafane.**

 **"Kill him." Jaune snarled. The Sphere sprouted razor-sharp spikes from it's underside before vaporizing Ironwood with a red laser blast. A death scream ripped itself from Ironwood's throat as he disintegrated.**

Everyone gasped and gaped in disbelieving horror at the sight of one of their own being killed like that. Ironwood gripped his metal arm tightly, the metal creaking slightly as he stared at the screen in shock at such a sudden, violent death. Ozpin's eyes widened at the visual of his friend being vaporized, reduced to ashes in a split second. Glynda gasped in horror, a hand covering her mouth as she glanced at the dead man in question. Qrow was actually speechless for once. While he didn't necessarily like Ironwood, he was still in shock over so quick and horrific a death.

Ruby burrowed her face into Yang as the blonde brawler herself gaped blankly. Summer and Taiyang did much the same as their children while Zwei growled and whimpered slightly. Weiss stared at the screen in a horrified stupor, as did Winter, while Willow held Weiss gently, hiding her own panic and fear. Blake's eyes were wide in horror, her hands covering her mouth as she had a sudden vision of a certain bull faunus. Ghira and Kali pulled Blake close as they stared in shock at the screen.

JNPR was not faring much better. Jaune was wide-eyed at his other's actions, staring blankly at the screen. Pyrrha gasped in shock and fear, pulling Jaune close for comfort. The usually happy-go-lucky Valkyrie was now silently staring at the screen, her usual demeanor completely replaced with numbness and terror as she pulled Ren in for her own comfort. Ren was in his own stupor alongside Li and An Ren.

Beowulf, however, simply scowled, his eyes glowing a little as he narrowed them at the screen. His hands gripped the armrests of his throne tightly, small cracks forming in the crystal. _"You guys better steel yourselves, 'cause it'll get a whole lot worse..."_

 **The rest of Remnant gaped in shock at the President of Atlas's murder by these otherworldly beings. And at the command of Vale's Prime Minister no less! Back on the airship, the armed guards of Vale were aiming their weapons at the people on board, shouting orders to not move.**

 **Jaune laughed with sadistic delight, his eyes wide with madness as he clapped at it all. As if it were a spectacle for him to enjoy. He turned back to Pyrrha, who was seated with a surprised, but unnerving smile towards him.**

 **Meanwhile, Sun held Ruby protectively while Ren grew more and more nervous at the sudden panic.**

"H-how could he and I just..." Pyrrha had no words, and neither did anyone else.

 **"Now then!" Jaune quickly ascended the steps of the staircase before turning to address the cameras. "People of Remnant, please attend carefully. Stop him!" He added at the end as Ren suddenly lunged forward, the perception filter in hand as two guards seized him. Ren struggled in their grip, glaring hatefully up at Jaune.**

 **Jaune grinned his mad little grin. "We meet at last, Doctor! HAHA, I _love_ saying that!"**

 **Ren, no, the Doctor, growled in anger and defiance. "Stop it! STOP IT NOW!"**

 **The Master sneered down at the Doctor. "As if the perception filter was going to work on me," he taunted, before turning his gaze to Ruby and Sun.**

Weiss was now barely over her shock, glaring at Jaune, no, the Master onscreen. "Wait so he knew they were there the whole time?!"

Yang growled as she held Ruby, her eyes flaring red for a second. "That bastard..."

 **"And look, it's the girlie and the freak!" He taunted with a sneer some more, reaching into his pocket as he spoke. The Doctor snapped over to them, eyes wide in fear and worry before turning back to his longtime enemy."Although, I'm not sure which one's which."**

The blonde bombshell's eyes were staying red as she gritted her teeth at the screen. "I'll kill him!" No one got away with insulting her friends like that! Much less insulting her sister!

While agreeing with her, Summer muttered quietly to Taiyang, "We need to work on her temper a bit." However by now, everyone was over their shock and openly glaring at Jaune's counterpart.

 **Suddenly breaking into a run, Sun sprinted towards the Master. The Master, however, was quicker, pulling a slim yellow-silver stick of metal which extended out from his pocket and pointing it at Sun's heart, firing a laser that stopped him dead.**

 **"AHH!" roared Sun in pain before collapsing dead on the floor.**

"Sun! No!" Blake cried out, small tears starting to form in her eyes. Ghira and Kali comforted their daughter as they snarled at the Master's actions.

Jaune was still gob-smacked by his other. He wanted to be a hero, but this version of himself? This version was nothing short of a _villain_. "H-he's killing people left and right...w-why?!"

Beowulf simply grimaced and gestured to keep watching, inwardly saddened. _"Sorry guys. Be careful what you wish for..."_

 **The Master looked pointedly at the Doctor, brandishing his device. " _Laser_ screwdriver. Who'd have sonic?"**

Any other time, Ruby would be geeking out over the device. But now, she was just scared of the Jaune on the screen.

 **"And the good thing is, he's not dead for long. I GET TO KILL HIM AGAIN!" The Master roared in sadistic delight, his eyes wide and wild.**

"Wait what? Sun isn't dead?" Weiss asked in confusion. Everyone looked towards their host for the explanation.

Beowulf rubbed his forehead, his features one of annoyance. "Oh no he's definitely dead. He just doesn't _stay_ dead. He's a space-time anomaly. Immortal...and a headache to look at for beings like me..."

The group nodded in semi-understanding (along with a few weird glances at their new friend) before turning back to the screen.

 **"Master, just calm down," the Doctor pleaded, "Just look at what you're doing, just _stop_! If you could see yourself..."**

 **The Master just seemed to be getting more and more annoyed as his rival spoke. He sighed and looked towards the cameras. "Oh do excuse me, bit of personal business. Back in a minute." He began walking down the stairs towards the Doctor. "Let him go." He called to the guards.**

 **Complying quickly, the guards flung the alternate version of Ren to the floor.**

Nora growled at Jaune's counterpart, the Master. "He better stop right there!"

In any other case, Beowulf would have smiled at her protectiveness of her friend and crush. But here he just winced slightly. He knew that the Master wouldn't stop.

"Why is Mr. Ren trying to reason with this tyrant?!" Glynda asked angrily, her disgust at the Master's actions clear.

"Because they were once friends." The otherworldly host spoke quietly, but everyone heard it all the same.

"What?! Then why are they fighting each other?!" Yang couldn't understand how a friendship could go so sour...

Beowulf's shoulders sagged a little. "Just keep watching..."

 **"It's that sound, the sound in your head. What if I could help?" The Doctor looked up at him pleadingly as Ruby looked on with worry.**

"Sound? I don't hear anything..." Ruby made a face of confusion.

Beowulf's eyes shone softly, tinged with sadness. "There it is. The reason why they fight each other."

Everyone turned to the man in confusion as he explained further. "In this universe, Jaune and Ren are Time Lords. As a rite of passage, as children, they were taken to the Untempered Schism, a tear in the fabric of space-time." He paused, his gold and platinum orbs distant and dimmed slightly.

"Imagine that. A child, staring into the raw power of time and space. Some would be inspired, some would run away, and some? Some would go _mad_." The room was dead quiet. Beowulf had even paused the viewing for this.

"S-so Jaune...went mad?" Pyrrha spoke hesitantly, glancing in worry at Jaune.

Beowulf nodded solemnly. "He looked into that Schism, and he heard drums, a neverending drum beat of four." He began to tap out the beat on the armrest of his throne. "Incessant, and unrelenting...the Master was convinced that it was a call to him, the call to war..." He stopped tapping. "And he went mad, an insatiable need to conquer, to rule, to be _the Master._ "

Ozpin frowned deeply, looking down in shame and guilt at himself, thinking of one particular person that had been dealt a similar hand in life. _"Salem..."_

Some of the adults, along with Ruby, looked at the Master in a slightly new light, one of pity.

"Poor Jaune..." said Ruby in a quiet voice.

Beowulf just resumed the viewing, gesturing for everyone to continue watching.

 **The Master sneered with disdain. "Oh, how to shut him up?!" He spoke, miming a babbling person with his hands. "Oh I know! Memory Lane!"**

 **He sat down on the steps to get eye-level with the Doctor. "Professor Watts."**

Ironwood and Winter paled slightly. Something that Beowulf, Ozpin, Qrow, and Glynda all took note of.

 **"Remember him? And his genetic manipulation device?" A flashback showed, showing an aged man with a large mustache dressed in rich clothing entering a device that glowed and pulsated before emerging, much younger than he was before.**

Everyone gasped at the reversal of age and the technology. "Whoa..."

Qrow smirked a little at Glynda. "Seems like you could use that tech a bit."

The deputy headmistress simply scowled at Qrow while Beowulf smirked a little. "You wouldn't want that used on you, believe me. The tech was faulty and it turned Watts into a monster."

Beowulf quickly paused the viewing before summoning up a 3D image of the transformed Watts, a horrific scorpion-like being that towered above all of them.

Ruby, Yang, Nora, and Jaune gagged a little at the picture while the others looked with a face of disgust.

Resuming the viewing with a little chuckle at having grossed out his audience, Beowulf winced a little. _"Oh...Nora will not like this part..._ _"_

 **"What you think that little Yang got that job merely by coincidence? I've been laying traps for you all this time..." Ruby turned her worried gaze to the Master, her features now showing shock at having gone so far as to manipulate her family.**

Ruby was...angry. Very angry. Her silver eyes glared hatefully at the Master onscreen, and for the first time that she could think of, she truly, _truly_ hated someone.

Yang was also not amused in the slightest. Her eyes flared red as she growled at the screen.

Taiyang glared at the alternate version of Jaune with paternal rage. "How dare he toy with my family like they're nothing!"

Summer joined Taiyang in the familial anger-fest, but also held him gently, trying to calm him down.

Zwei the corgi simply growled in anger at the man onscreen, enraged at this man who was hurting and manipulating his owners.

 **"...and if I can channel all of that Watts technology into one _little screwdriver_..." the Master grinned sadistically, holding up his laser screwdriver in front of the Doctor. He paused, feigning disappointment, "But...ohh if only I had the Doctor's biological code..." He said in mock-sadness, drumming his fingers on his chin.**

Nora's eyes were glued to the screen, terror and worry plain on her face to see. Li and An Ren watched with similar emotions as their son's other was threatened.

 **The Master suddenly brightened up, grinning triumphantly. "Oh, wait a minute, _I do_!" He got up from his seat, strolling over to a metal briefcase on the table while Ruby looked more and more concerned for the Doctor's wellbeing. **

**"I've got his hand!" The mad Time Lord declared, opening the case to show a hand inside of a bubbling mixture of** **liquid.**

"Wait but Ren has his hand right there?" Jaune said in confusion, pointing it out on the screen.

"Ren had regenerated recently when his hand had been severed, allowing him to regrow it," explained Beowulf.

Ozpin blinked. "Regenerated?"

"Part of his 'reincarnation' process...it's a long story..."

 **The Doctor looked at the hand in frightened concern, looking up at his nemesis. The Master continued, adjusting something on his screwdriver. "And if Watts made himself younger...what if I reverse it?"**

Everyone flinched in their seats.

"No..."

"He wouldn't!"

Beowulf smiled humorlessly, his mismatched eyes smoldering in anger as he clutched the armrests of his throne, "He would."

 **The Doctor's eyes widened in fear as the Master finished with his tinkering, the tip of the screwdriver extending out.**

 **"Another...hundred years?" The Master turned his weapon onto the Doctor, activating the Watts tech inside of it...with horrifying results.**

"NO!" Nora cried out in terror at her best friend being attacked.

 **The Doctor began to convulse erratically, his motions simply blurs as screams of agony wrenched themselves from his throat. As Sun slowly got up from his death, Ruby came in close, finding it extremely difficult to watch the Doctor's pain but unable to look away.**

 **Sun gasped softly, pulling Ruby close and pushing his vortex manipulator into her hands. "Teleport."**

 **Ruby seemed torn, looking between Sun and the Doctor. "I...I can't!"**

 **The Master smiled with cruel delight as he twisted the screwdriver maliciously, further aging his enemy.**

"STOP IT! LEAVE HIM ALONE!" screamed Nora, unable to bear the torment that her best friend was being put through on the screen.

Jaune snarled in rage at his other. "That bastard!"

Pyrrha was gripping the couch armrest with such tightness, it was amazing it hadn't snapped, her eyes transfixed on the horror onscreen.

Ren winced at the Master's relentless attack. To have 100 years worth of body degradation hit all at once...ouch.

Ren's parents were of similar emotions with Nora and Jaune. Li was silently digging his nails into his palms in rage, while An had her hands over her mouth, eyes wide in horror at her baby boy being so ruthlessly attacked.

Team RWBY was not doing much better, all of them straining to keep their rage in check, as were the rest of the adults.

Beowulf growled in rage at the Master's cruelty, his eyes glowing menacingly as the sclerae of his eyes flared blood-red for a split second and his visage began to warp, flicker, and contort into something...more, ethereal smoke beginning to float off of him, before he caught himself and regained control, shifting back to normal with his guests none the wiser. **(2)**

 **"We can't stop him," Sun gasped out, looking Ruby in the eye. "Get out of here."**

 **The Master continued to grin as he made the Doctor suffer, his screams now growing louder and more painful in nature.**

 **"Get out..." Sun made a weak smile.**

 **Pyrrha watched the Doctor's torment with a unhappy look on her face, before the Master finally relented, deactivating his screwdriver.**

 **The Doctor slowly pushed himself up from the floor, aged at least 100 years old physically, gasping as he sought to push himself upright.**

"Dear Oum..." gasped Glynda in horror.

Nora was now holding Ren in a death grip, unwilling to part for even a second, whimpering slightly.

 **Ruby crawled over to the aged Doctor, carefully checking him over. "Doctor? I've got you."**

 **The Master smirked once again, taunting Ruby. "Ah, she's a would-be doctor. But tonight Ruby Rose, we've flown them in! All the way from Prison!" He gloated, gesturing towards the back of the room.**

 **Yang, Summer, and Taiyang were coming in, flanked by guards and bound in cuffs.**

 **"Mom!"**

 **Summer looked teary-eyed. "I'm sorry.."**

"Summer was suspicious of the Doctor, so she kept giving the Master information on Ruby, not that she knew this would happen," Beowulf clarified quietly. Not that it would have mattered.

The rage that was directed at the Master on the screen was almost palpable.

Ozpin's grip on the mug was enough to strangle anyone in seconds. "Monster..."

Beowulf flinched almost imperceptibly, but Ozpin, Ruby, and Jaune all noticed, choosing instead to focus on the viewing.

 **"The Toclafane..." The now-ancient Doctor rasped, his gaze on his arch-nemesis. Ruby crouched next to him, concern clear in her silver eyes. "What are they?"**

 **The Master crouched down next to his foe, gesturing for the Doctor to repeat himself.**

 **"Who are they?" A faux-solemn look crept across the Master's features.**

 **"Doctor, if I told you the truth..." he placed a hand over the Doctor's chest. "Your hearts, would break."**

"What are they?" asked Blake.

Beowulf avoided her gaze. "I...I haven't the heart to tell you..."

 **The three Toclafane from before now floated above the Master. "Is it time?" the male voice asked. "Is it ready?"**

 **"Is the machine singing?" came the female voice. The Master checked his watch, a smirk curling his lips as he looked back up at the mysterious spheres.**

 **"Two minutes past."**

Summer watched in concern and worry. "He's not done? What more will he do?!"

Their host kept watching the screen in tired sadness.

 **The Master ran up the stairs, back into view of the cameras. "So, people of Remnant! Basically, um..." He paused, making a mockingly sheepish grin. "End of the world!"**

"WHAT?!" Everyone shouted in shock.

"He's going to destroy the world?!" Yang gasped in a mix of despair and shock.

Beowulf shook his head. "No. There would be no value in destroying Remnant. Subjugating everything however..." His grip on his armrests tightened.

 **He held up his screwdriver, a mad grin on his face, as he roared. "HERE! COME! THE DRUMS!"**

 **A song by the name of _Voodoo Child_ started playing on the _Valiant_ 's loudspeakers as the scene showed a machine that seemed to burst as it activated.**

 **The Master slid down the stairs to one of the porthole windows, his grin widening with glee as he watched a massive rift tear itself open in the sky, thousands and thousands of Toclafane spilling out of the tear, lightning and thunder arcing across the rift.**

 **All the while, Pyrrha danced a little giddily, her husband joining her as the Rose-Xiao-Long family watched in horror alongside the crippled Doctor and reviving Sun.**

All of the gathered audience made faces of horrified despair as the tear onscreen spilled Toclafane out like water from a torn bag.

"S-so many of them..." Weiss stared in awe and fear at such a powerful force.

Beowulf nodded, growling at the screen. "The Master utilized a device known as a Paradox Machine to rip open a tear in space-time to bring the Toclafane through. That was the device you saw earlier."

 **The Master pulled Pyrrha to the main window, watching as the streams of floating Toclafane burst from the rift above them. Pyrrha watched in awe as the Master simply looked on in smug contentedness.**

 **"How many do you think?" He asked his wife.**

 **"I...ah, I don't know.." She replied with a voice shaky with excitement and multiple other emotions.**

 **He smirked. "6 billion," spoke the Master in a smug tone, flipping a switch on the controls of the carrier.**

Color drained from the assembled group's faces. Ozpin's inner circle in particular watched in fear.

Ironwood's usual composure was completely gone. "A-an army...6 billion strong...we could never oppose such a force..."

The headmaster of Beacon gripped his mug tightly, fear flickering in his eyes. "These beings must _never_ find their way to our world..."

"But what will he do with all these Toclafane?!" Ruby cried out in worry as the Toclafane onscreen made their way down to land.

Jaune grimaced, glancing at Beowulf. "Make an example." Everyone looked to the blonde knight, their expressions made from a mix of confusion and concern.

Beowulf nodded grimly. "If dictators want power by force, they make an example to keep people from stepping out of line," He gestured to the screen. "And the Master is about to make one of the largest ones I have seen in any Reality..."

 **The Master grinned, "Down you go kids!"**

 **Heeding his command, the Toclafane descended with haste. People ran out of their homes and places of work or leisure, looking up at the skies in confusion that gave way to terror.**

 **The spheres began to open fire on the innocent civilians, sprouting spikes and going on killing sprees. Screams of terror could be heard en masse, a heartrendingly horrifying noise.**

Blake was on the verge of tears. This version of Jaune was too much. It was almost like... _him. "Adam...could you do something like this?"_

Everyone sat transfixed on the horror that was taking place before them.

 **Back on the _Valiant_ , the Master turned to Pyrrha. "Shall we decimate them?"**

 **Pyrrha seemed almost uncertain, remaining silent.**

 **The Master paid this no heed, nodding to himself and smirking. "That sounds good. Nice word, 'decimate'." He turned back to the view in front of him, his voice now amplified greatly as he spoke to the Toclafane.**

 **"Remove one-tenth of the population!"**

Everyone's blood turned to ice in their veins. "WHAT?!"

"ONE-TENTH?!" Weiss screeched out, her eyes wide in horror.

Jaune was thoroughly horrified and disgusted with his counterpart. He gritted his teeth in fury as he glared at the screen, shouting. "One-tenth just to make a fucking example?!"

Blake sobbed into her parents' arms. This was just too much.

Ozpin and Glynda gaped at the display of inhumane cruelty, the former's grip on his mug now starting to form cracks in the ceramic.

Qrow sat numbly in his seat, his flask completely forgotten as his red eyes were fixed on the screen.

Ironwood's gaze snapped over to Beowulf, who was slumped in his throne, his eyes dimmed as he appeared to look far older than his visage suggested, weary and saddened. "How many people?"

Beowulf raised an eyebrow, silently asking him to clarify. The general growled a little, his nostrils flaring in anger. "What is the population of Remnant in this universe? How many people?!"

The host slumped back even more. "7 billion." He spoke quietly, almost a whisper, but it carried through the room just enough.

Everyone flinched as if they'd been struck, the full force of the Master's command finally coming through. Blake sobbed even more while Yang held Ruby closer. The horror turned to almost blinding rage as simple math revealed the horror in its entirety.

700 million. 700 million would die by the hand of the Toclafane, and by extension, the Master.

"What a disgusting monster," Weiss spat hatefully, her lip curling in angry contempt.

Beowulf just sat in his throne, looking down at the palm of his hand. _"What would you all say if you saw the amount of blood on my hands...? This monster..._ _"_ He clenched his hand into a fist, turning away with a stony expression.

 _"_ _Enough of that. It wasn't your fault."_ He told himself.

The other part of his mind, apparently playing as the devil on his shoulder, seemed to sneer. _"Keep telling yourself that..." **(3)**_

 **Reports from across the planet started coming into the _Valiant._**

 **" _Valiant_ , this is Argus! We're being slaughtered down here! ****_Valiant,_ report! Help us! For Oum's sake, help us! They're everywhere!"**

 **A single tear rolled down Ruby's face as she turned to the aged Doctor, his face set and grim. The old man nodded. She stood slowly, her hand sliding from her friend's.**

 **More and more reports came in, many of them muddled together as the world screamed out for help.**

 **"This is Vale,** ** _Valiant._ This is Vale calling, what do we do? They're killing us!" Ruby slowly backed away from the Doctor, Sun's vortex manipulator in her shaking hands.**

 **She gave a sorrowful glance toward her family, all of them watching in worry. The report from Vale continued.** **"The Toclafane are all around! They're killing us!"**

"What is Ruby doing?" Summer asked, a quiver in her voice betraying the worry she had for the daughter onscreen.

Qrow's eyes widened. "She's leaving..."

 **Ruby closed her eyes and activated the teleport feature. Sun and the Doctor watched as she vanished, before turning to each other. A sense of understanding went between them before the Doctor turned to his nemesis, visible anger showing as he beheld his victorious foe.**

"Why am I leaving? I could have stopped him right there!" Ruby cried out in anger at her counterpart.

"No you couldn't have," Beowulf said sadly.

"Yes I could! I could have ran up there and-"

"And done what? Gotten shot down by his bodyguards? Or maybe by his screwdriver? Or maybe he'd be so cruel as to age you to the point of death?" Ruby paled at Beowulf's words. Yang glared at the host as Summer and Taiyang comforted the little reaper.

Beowulf, however, showed no satisfaction in having won the little argument. His eyes, once bright with joy and laughter, were dimmed. "No, in this case, retreat was the only safe option."

The adults nodded in agreement, though none were pleased or happy with it. "Fight and die or run and live huh?" asked Jaune with a humorless grin.

 **Reappearing on a hilltop, Ruby got to her feet, her eyes wide in horror as she beheld a truly frightening sight.**

 **Swarms of Toclafane blacked out the sky as screams of terror were heard everywhere. And before her was the once-proud city of Vale, now burning as the Toclafane swarms fired laser blast after laser blast down at the running civilians.**

 **Her silver orbs slowly hardened in cold rage and determination as she watched Vale burn. Glancing up at the sky, she hissed out an unheard message for everyone she cared for onboard the _Valiant_. "I'm coming back!"**

 **She turned away, running into the woods away from Vale.**

Everyone watched silently as the atmosphere turned to one of despair. The Master had won. What could the Doctor and his friends do now to beat him?

Beowulf sighed quietly, pinching the bridge of his nose. _"I should show them a happier one next for sure..."_

 **Meanwhile on the** _ **Valiant**_ **, the Master and Pyrrha had lifted the Doctor up and now stood on either side of him, holding him up. The Master smirked as he made his nemesis watch all the destruction that had been wrought upon Remnant.**

 **"And so it came to pass, that the human race, fell. And Remnant, was no more. And I looked down upon my new dominion, as Master of All...and I thought it... _good_."**

The screen went white before dimming as the orb manifested from the screen, floating back to its place in one of the pillars.

Jaune fell back into the couch, drained. "I really hope they're not all like that..."

Everyone sat, nodding in agreement as they too were quite drained from the experience. Blake's eyes were bloodshot, as were Nora's. Nora in particular seemed to be clinging to Ren, who was comforting her.

Beowulf looked at his guests and winced slightly. _"I was hoping to make them comfortable. Not a good start. Though they did ask for it."_

He spoke quietly towards Yang and Weiss. "I hope that gave you enough of a glimpse into how evil Jaune could be in other universes."

Yang shivered a little, holding her sister closer and thankful that she was sitting down. If she were standing, everyone would find that her legs were shaking in fear.

Weiss stared blankly at the screen, still trying to comprehend the vastness of what she had just seen.

The host sighed a little before turning to the group as a whole. Ozpin stood up slowly, his voice laden with weariness. "I think I speak for all of us when I say that we could all use a happier universe to view next."

Beowulf gave him a weak smile. "Agreed." He got down from his throne, slowly approaching a certain Valkyrie who had a grip on her friend.

Nora was terrified. That much was very obvious. Ren was still trying to calm her down, whispering things into her ear like "That wasn't me Nora" or "It's okay Nora, I'm here." She just tightened her grip, refusing to let go.

Jaune tried to reach over to console her, only for her to hiss at him angrily. She knew that the Master and Jaune weren't the same being, but in her current emotional turmoil, she didn't care.

She felt someone kneel down next to her and she turned to glare at whoever it was. That glare faltered when she realized it was Beowulf next to her. His mismatched orbs shone softly and warmly as he smiled gently. Holding out a gauntleted hand, his smile turned playful as a spark began to form above his palm.

Slowly, a small gem formed above the being's palm, colored green and pink with sparks of said colors flickering within. She gasped a little in awe as everyone else looked over to see what was happening. Even Ren's eyes widened slightly in surprise.

On the gem's surface were Ren and Nora's emblems with a twist. The Lotus emblem was on top of Nora's Hammer emblem. She looked up at Beowulf in surprise, as did Ren.

The mysterious being smiled, gently grasping the friends' hands in his own, before allowing the gem to float over to rest above their palms. The two friends looked down at the gem before looking back at Beowulf in amazement and confusion.

He simply smiled, making eye contact with the two. _"I believe you two have something to say to each other?"_ Beowulf's voice resonated a little within their heads, making them flinch for a second.

Ren and Nora looked at each other before turning to Beowulf. Nora nodded quietly.

Waving a hand off to the side, one of the double doors on the walls creaked open a little. The man tilted his head towards the doors with a smile, as Nora got up and gently pulled Ren through the doors.

As the group's gaze followed them through the doors, Ren's parents turned to Beowulf curiously. "What happened?"

Beowulf's eyes twinkled with light. "Something that was a long time in coming." He smirked knowingly at Pyrrha. _"Just like you and a certain knight."_

The Invincible Girl blushed fiercely, before gasping in awe. "Wait how did you..in my head?"

"Telepathy. Comes in handy." Beowulf grinned at the group's dumbfounded expressions, before moving in front of the group and manifesting a table, which formed a hologram above with with chairs around the table. The holographic words read, **Civilization V**. **(4)**

"So while we're waiting on them, anyone up for a game?" RWBY and Jaune raised their hands, along with Winter. Ironwood looked at his subordinate in surprise, as did Qrow. The Ice Queen wanted in on this game too?

Beowulf chuckled, his mismatched eyes twinkling. _"This should get their minds off of it a little. Let's have some fun with this."_

* * *

Meanwhile, Ren and Nora looked around their surroundings in amazement. Ren in particular was awestruck.

The door Beowulf had ushered them through had led to a massive garden. In fact, it could barely be called a garden. They had stood on a little cobblestone path that led to a clearing up ahead. Rich green foliage blocked any other view. Seeing nothing else to do, they had followed the path into the clearing. And stood dumbfounded in wonder.

Thousands of plants could be seen, sitting behind a stone wall encircling the clearing. Many of the plants crept on top of the wall, as if eager to be seen by whoever had come into the garden. Stone benches sat in circles around the center, which was occupied by a massive garden fountain, fashioned from gold. Wondrous trees with leaves of gold, silver, and bronze stood tall and firm further off around the clearing, as well as around the cobblestone path that continued further.

Above them was a clear view of the heavens above. Millions of twinkling stars, a multitude of colors shown above them, all spiraling in a beautiful nebula.

Nora 'oohed' and 'aahed' at the beautiful fountain, and the stars above, while Ren looked closer at the plants, amazed by the variety.

One seemed to look like a rose, only with shimmering colors as if it were reflecting the skies above. Another seemed to be a mix between a rose and a sunflower. Another appeared to be crafted from moonlight and lace. And so many others that captivated the young man.

Feeling a tapping on his shoulder, he turned to Nora. The hyperactive hammer maiden blushed slightly, still looking down at the gem gifted to her by Beowulf. "Renny, can we talk?"

Ren paled inwardly. Ah yes, the infamous "can we talk" line. He nodded, his stoic expression still in place.

Nora exhaled shakily, as if steeling herself. _"That's strange..."_ thought Ren. Nora was never nervous. She was the most happy-go-lucky person he'd ever met, one of the many reasons he lo- liked her.

"We'll always be friends right Ren-Ren?" Masking his surprise at such an out-of-the-blue question, Ren nodded.

"Of course we will. Nora, we've been friends since we were children."

"I know! We've been together for so long. But not together-together, because that'd be weird right? I mean together as in friends 'cause we're best friends and you make me pancakes with syrup and everything and you've been there for me for so long and-" At this point, Nora was talking too fast to understand as she gestured wildly, even for the young teenager to process.

He grabbed Nora's shoulders gently, pinning her in place. "Nora, slow down. Breathe."

Nodding and catching her breath, Ren asked quietly. "Now, what are you trying to say?"

She looked up at him shyly, a rosy tint coloring her cheeks. "W-we've been friends for a long time Renny. And you've been so kind to me even though I can be such a handful, like making pancakes with syrup for me, being my bestie, and..." Her expression faltered. "...Kuroyuri...you saved me Ren."

The hammer-maiden leaned closer, her eyes dim and distant. "And just seeing you there...just screaming in pain and I couldn't..." She stopped, holding herself as if chilled. "I couldn't do anything but watch..."

Ren watched in concern as his childhood friend seemed to be splitting apart at the seams. She squeezed her eyelids shut, small tears spilling out. "I kept thinking what would happen if something like that happened? If things changed...and this war that Wulfie says is coming, what if you..." She couldn't finish the sentence, a choking sob cutting her off.

A pair of arms pulled her into a hug, warm and tender. She looked up to see a surprising emotion on her best friend's face: tenderness. "Listen to me Nora. Nothing is going to happen like that. Okay? We'll be fine. We'll always be together."

"But not together-together." She said quietly to herself.

Ren's expression shifted through multiple expressions, doubt, uncertainty, and finally determination. "No...not together-together. But why not?"

The Valkyrie froze in Ren's arms, looking up at him in shock. "W-what? 'Cause i-it would be weird!"

"Weird is good sometimes isn't it? Besides, why would it be so weird?" Ren's tone was strangely driven and insistent.

"B-because we've-"

"Because we've been friends our whole lives?" Her eyes widened further, her mouth moving with no words leaving it.

Ren kept going, looking into those turquoise eyes with his own pale pink ones. "That could make things perfect Nora..." he said, cupping her cheek gently. She leaned into his hand, savoring his warm touch.

"We've known each other for so long Nora, and I know I couldn't imagine a life without you. You make me happy just by being yourself. So happy and caring..."

The blush on Nora's face was growing exponentially; she was almost as red as Ruby's cloak. "I...bu...you..." she stammered out.

Ren leaned closer, and she leaned back slightly, panic and joy warring on her face as he spoke. "Nora..."

"Yes Ren...?"

He smiled and tapped her on the nose.

"Boop."

Nora stiffened, staring blankly at Ren for what seemed like an eternity.

"...Nora?"

"EEEEEE-!"

* * *

A smile split Beowulf's face as he watched the board from his side, everyone else frowning deeply at him.

Yang growled in annoyance. "What are you smiling about Wulf?!"

His only response was a smirk. "Looks like our two friends have come to an understanding. That, and we're waiting on you to confirm everything Yang."

The blonde brawler blushed and scowled before turning back to the board.

* * *

It had taken about half an hour for Nora to calm down, only for her to tackle Ren to the ground, kissing with as much energy and joy she could put in. And much to her happiness, he responded with equal affection and energy. After another half-hour, this one spent with just cuddling and enjoying the others presence, the two lovebirds finally made their way back through the garden through the doors...

...and were greeted with their host looking at Jaune, RWBY, and Winter with a smug smirk while the four members of RWBY raged...or rather as Yang and Weiss did. The others, mainly the parents of the group, were smiling at the children.

"You have to have cheated! There's no way you could beat ALL of us!" Yang roared as her hair glowed and her eyes were red. She was the best in playing World of Remnant, and this guy just showed her up in a similar game?! **(5)**

Weiss scowled, "How can you be so good at this game?! You wiped us off the board! COMPLETELY!"

Beowulf just smirked even more, his eyes twinkling. "When you've lived as long as I have, and fought as many wars as I have, you'll find that you learn a lot about strategy."

He stood up from his seat, the board vanishing in a puff of black smoke. Turning to face them all, he spoke further. "It's one of the many things I'll be teaching you all during your time and training here, along with some friends of mine."

 _"Especially you six. We need to talk."_ The godlike being's voice echoed within Pyrrha's head, making her flinch slightly. Looking out of the corner of her eye, she noticed that Ozpin, Ironwood, Qrow, Glynda, and Winter had also flinched slightly. While Beowulf's voice had been stern with no room for argument, she had a sneaking suspicion that it wasn't really meant towards her.

"Well how old are you then?" Ruby asked innocently, tilting her head like a child.

The man paused, rubbing his chin in thought. "Hmmm...think it was...11,119 years? I lose count sometimes..." He muttered to himself quietly, but loud enough for everyone to hear.

Ozpin's eyes bulged in shock, as did everyone else's.

"11,000 years?" Qrow asked, glancing at his flask. _"I could really use a drink about now..."_

 _"He's even older than me and Salem!"_ Ozpin's grip on his mug slackened a little.

Glynda stumbled a little at the revelation, her mind absently thinking. _"Bartholomew would be chomping at the bit to talk to this man..."_

Blake, having kept a slightly better composure than the other students, added her little tidbit. "Well...you certainly look good for someone over 9,000 years..." **(6)**

Her peers slowly turned to look at her. She blushed faintly. "What? He is!"

The man smirked cheekily. "Why thank you Blake. Though honestly, I'm the one of the younger _Plasmatores_. I'll explain later!" He added quickly at the sight of more confused faces. **(7)**

Jaune and Pyrrha, however, had caught something else. "Wars? You've fought in wars?"

Beowulf's smile faded slightly, his eyes darkening. "Yes..." and just like that, the grin was there once more. "But enough about me! How about we talk about a certain pair of lovebirds?"

He smirked towards Ren and Nora, who had been quiet throughout the exchange. Nora's face burned bright red while Ren gave a small smirk. He gently took her hand in his. Jaune and Pyrrha smiled at the two, as did the rest of the adults. Li and An Ren in particular had happy, contented smiles on their faces, happy for their son.

Yang whistled with a smirk of her own while Ruby rushed in for a hug and a rushed "Congratulations!" Weiss simply smiled at the pair, as did Blake.

As the two walked back to the couches, Beowulf gave them a warm smile, his hands in his pockets. "Now that we're all back, we can continue. First of all, I am very sorry you all had to see that dark universe."

Everyone stiffened slightly, with Nora grabbing Ren's hand and squeezing. "We will be getting back to that one later. Don't worry though! There's a happy ending!" He quickly reassured them all.

"...sort of happy." He muttered to himself, too quiet for anyone to hear, before straightening again. "But in order to make up for it, I'll let someone choose the next one to watch."

"Namely..." His gentle gaze settled on Nora, whose smile widened considerably into a wild grin. **(8)**

"Oooh! I get to pick the next one we see?" Beowulf nodded, before kneeling down in front of her, holding out a palm with three floating orbs hovering above it. One was colored silver, pulsing with flashes of pale blue, another was reddish-gold, with flashes of white, and the final one was purple with black flashes.

Their host grinned his fanged grin, his eyes twinkling with starlight. "Take your pick Ms. Valkyrie!"

Nora seemed to pause, her hand hovering over the three before pointing to the red orb. "This one!"

The grin widened. "Good choice..."

With a flick of his wrist, the orbs dispersed as if possessing minds of their own. The red orb moved towards the screen, hovering in front of it as it awaited further command. The other two orbs floated back towards the walls, fixating themselves back into position.

Beowulf melted into shadow before reforming next to his throne, throwing himself onto the chair such that his head was on one armrest and his legs dangled off the other armrest. Clicking his fingers, he conjured up some popcorn and soda for everyone to partake in.

Summer and Taiyang glanced down at the popcorn before looking back up at their host. "You didn't really give popcorn for the first viewing. Why this one?"

The man smirked playfully as he conjured up some popcorn for himself, laying the container on his lap and grabbing a handful. "Mm, 'cause iff fun to eaph phophcorn and waffh aphion mofies!" he said, his mouth filled with popcorn.

The Atlesians present (excluding Willow) wrinkled their noses slightly in disgust, while the others giggled, cracked a smile, looked confused, or a mix of the three. Ren smiled a little before translating. "He said, 'It's fun to eat popcorn and watch action movies.'"

Catching some funny looks directed at him, he glanced at Nora, who was already stuffing her face a little. "She talks a lot with her mouth open like that.."

Ruby and Yang grinned widely. "Oooh, is this going to be an action-y universe?" Ruby asked, brimming with excitement.

Beowulf, who had now swallowed the mouthful of popcorn, nodded. "Yep! At least a certain scene from the universe," he flashed a smirk at Nora. "Like I said, good choice!"

As the rest of the group took their seats, the self-proclaimed ' _Plasmator_ ' dimmed the lights. "Shall we begin?"

The students gave a loud, enthusiastic 'yes' while the adults nodded, with Zwei adding in his little bark of agreement. Beowulf turned to the screen as the orb floated into the screen, once more making it ripple before shining with white light.

 _"Hopefully Nora and Yang don't get too many ideas from this one..."_

* * *

 **AN: Huh...this went on a lot longer than I intended initially. But anyway, there you all go! The first viewing of a world...that wasn't so happy, but we'll get back to it at a later date.**

 **Once again, thank you all for reading and I hope you enjoyed the chapter! Reviews and constructive criticism are writer food, so please feed me XD.**

* * *

 **Footnotes:**

 **(1) Considering that Vacuo is mainly desert and a lot of alien stories in the world involve said deserts, thought it would be a nice little tie-in.**

 **(2) Oooh looks like our otherworldly host has a little something...different lurking underneath huh?**

 **(3) A few more little hints towards Beowulf's past and backstory. Wars...what fun.**

 **(4) Civilization V is an RTS video game, which I would highly recommend for anyone. Long, but very fun and rewarding. It's one of my all time favorite video games, and a blast to play against friends, or against AI. Just...don't go up against the AI for India...**

 **(5) While I'm not entirely sure how the World of Remnant game works, it seems pretty similar to a strategy game, so I sort of equated the two.**

 **(6) I am so sorry for this two-word reference. I will say however, that his age is of partial significance, but you'll see that later down the line.**

 **(7) You'll be seeing more of this throughout the story, but to clarify, Plasmator is a latin word for "Creator, maker, former, or fashioner" This is what beings like Beowulf, and the "others" he mentioned in the previous chapter are called.**

 **(8) Considering that Nora was the one most frightened by the viewing, I thought it would be only fair that she would pick the next universe.**

 **Well, that's that. Thanks again for reading guys!**

 **Toodles,**

 **Beowulf.**

 **Next time:**

"Ah, this will do. It's just you...and me. Time to raise some hell!"

...

"I've waited a long time for this!"

"And you're going to get what you deserve!"


	3. Chapter 3: Wrath of Gods

**AN: Hey guys! Sorry for the wait, lots of crap happened, especially regarding school and personal issues so this has been slow in coming. That being said, I've finally graduated from high school! But that's irrelevant. To Business!**

 **I have decided which universes the group will be seeing for the next few chapters in no particular order. Some of them will be easily understood, others not so much.**

 **The main idea is that the first 7 or so chapters will be getting them used to the idea of the Multiversal Theory using crossover ideas (RWBY characters in different franchises), and then we'll be getting into more and more of the stories that either mix different characters and franchises in, or simply alternate timelines.**

 **Also, I'll be putting up polls for if you guys want me to continue a certain part of the story or not. For example, if you guys want to see the next part of "The Sound of Drums" (I will be doing that at a later date, considering I said it in the last chapter but the point stands).**

 **Speaking of polls, I will say that JoJo's Bizarre Adventure will be a universe that we see in one or more of these chapters. I will be posting a poll as to which Part you guys want, considering I couldn't decide which would be best. After that, you guys can tell me which fights and such from said Part you want me to include!**

 **With that all being said, let's begin!**

* * *

 **Disclaimer: I, Beowulf the Divine Emperor, do not own RWBY or any crossover material that is used in this story. I only own my OCs and my own twist on the genre of Reaction Fic. RWBY is owned by the late, great Monty Oum and Rooster Teeth. All other material falling under "crossover" belongs to their respective owners. In this case,** ** _Asura's Wrath_** **belongs to Capcom.**

 **Special Thanks to Sixsamchaos for pain-stakingly beta reading this!**

* * *

The more...bombastic of the audience (namely Nora, Yang, and Ruby), were practically bouncing in their seats over a more action-y universe. The rest of the students, especially Blake and Ren, were more reserved but still excited. Weiss, while slightly interested, didn't seem to be looking forward to it. The adults however, were mostly looking bored.

Beowulf, who had been stuffing his face with popcorn, looked at the senior hunters (and Weiss) quizzically. "Something wrong?"

Ironwood scoffed a little, his lips pressed in slight distaste. "All these action movie types are so foolish. None of them know what a real fight is like."

The others nodded, some agreeing more than others. Weiss simply frowned a little. "They're all such boring, mindless stuff."

Yang snickered as she dove into her popcorn. "Only you would be disappointed with 'mindless stuff,' Weiss-cream."

Weiss glared at the blonde bombshell while Summer and Taiyang smiled at their daughter. Jaune and Pyrrha chuckled a little, as did Beowulf.

"Ah, to be young again..." Ozpin gave a small smile.

Beowulf smirked at the two Atlesians, grinning slightly. "I think you'll enjoy this one actually. After all, it's not every day you see demigods do battle."

Ozpin looked up a little, quirking a brow. "Demigods?"

"Quite. This world is very different from yours, and yet, so very similar..." The man mused softly.

The drunk of the audience, Qrow, smirked and waved his hand somewhat mockingly, waiting for Beowulf to elaborate. "And..?"

Mismatched eyes narrowed at the man, a mischievous smirk curling his lips. "Are you mocking me Qrow Branwen?"

Qrow simply smirked before pulling out his flask of whiskey and taking a sip. His eyes suddenly widened before he coughed hard, as if choking on something. He keeled over a little in his seat, hitting his chest to dislodge whatever was in his throat.

Taiyang and Summer started to look concerned. "Qrow...?" The blonde reached toward his friend to help.

With a final hacking cough, the alcoholic Hunter spat out a massive hunk of grain. "What...the hell is...?"

Beowulf smirked, "Barley, a key ingredient in the whiskey you drink. Tread carefully when you try to have battle of wits with me Branwen. You'll find that I hold the cards." He snickered as Qrow glared at him for messing with his precious booze.

Ironwood and Winter, however, grinned inwardly at the uncouth man's humiliation.

"Uh...how did you...?" Jaune pointed at the barley on the floor questioningly.

The young man shrugged. "Transmuted it back into its former ingredients. Pretty simple stuff when you can warp reality itself." He grinned suddenly, clapping his hands together. "But enough of that! Context first."

"This version of Remnant is known as Gaea." He spoke, summoning a large replica of the planet and its moon, surprisingly unshattered, in front of them. Oohs and aahs were shared as they looked at the alternate version of their own world, surprised to see that none of the continents were very alike. "Grimm exist here, but instead of Auras, they have an energy called Mantra, formed from prayers offered by Humanity, as well as their souls upon death."

"Are there faunus in this world?" Ghira asked, stroking his beard while observing the holographic planet.

Beowulf shook his head. "No they do not. But anyway, this Mantra is harnessed by another race: Demigods." A few visuals of strange but intriguing beings flashed across the screen, humanoid, but unlike any faunus or human they'd ever seen. It was if skin had merged with a form of metal.

But one scene in particular stood out. A scene with eight people in it, all familiar, yet different.

One was a large, admittedly fat man with a massive golden arm/gauntlet, carved with intricate engravings. He wore an open vest, rich with design along with baggy pants colored red and gold. His face however, was unmistakable. A face with a large, golden mustache that appeared to be made of metal as well and golden hair with a similar tint to it. A cocky smirk curled his lips.

"Professor Port?!" The students shouted in surprise, while Ozpin and Glynda looked at the man's other in curiosity.

"Huh...Peter's put on some weight," Qrow quipped, taking another sip from his flask, this one smaller due to wariness towards Beowulf.

Tai looked at the man's massive gauntlet in awe. "Damn! He must have one hell of a punch..." Summer chuckled a little at that.

The next man of the eight was tall and extremely well muscled to the point of bulkiness. He had intricate red, tribal-looking markings all over his upper body, which was plainly on display for all to see. His hair was wild and white and a wild grin that reeked of battlelust was on his features. His eyes were strange, pure white with no pupil or iris, and glowing slightly. He had silvery metal gauntlets covering his hands and forearms and wore baggy white pants covered in remnants of armor. A massive katana was sheathed horizontally behind him at his waist.

Ruby squealed a little before looking at her uncle. "Uncle Qrow! Look, it's you! And look at that sword!"

Qrow spat up his whiskey in shock, looking at this behemoth of a man who was apparently his other. "Well Oum damn..."

Willow and Winter, however, were more interested in the other's eyes. "His eyes are white...is Qrow blind in this?"

Beowulf nodded, grinning at the catch. "Indeed. He's blind, not that it matters much when it comes to his efficiency in battle and in life."

The drunken Hunter smirked at everyone, "Looks like I'm a badass huh?"

"Next I'll change your whiskey into a fish. Fitting considering how much you drink."

"..." Qrow slumped back into his seat, grumbling quietly.

The third man was also tall and muscled, but much more lean and young. He had long black hair, shoulder length with much of it in a bun, and a small pointed beard. He wore very intricate clothing, as well as armor, unlike most of the other eight, colored black with hints of gold. He had two long white scarves trailing behind him, fastened to his collar. He also had tribal markings on his body, though much more muted such that they didn't stand out immediately. His eyes and face were the definition of impassive, with a hint of Melancholy, though unmistakably one of their own.

Nora smiled widely, tugging on Ren's sleeve and pointing. "Look Ren-Ren! It's you!" She blushed slightly, making a mental note to get rid of Ren's razors.

Ren himself raised an eyebrow, taking in his alternate's appearance. "...huh..."

Glynda looked on in intrigue. "Everyone has carvings and markings of sorts on their bodies so far. Why?" She asked, turning to Beowulf.

The man simply muttered quietly to himself before shrugging a little. "Irrelevant?"

She frowned at the unhelpful explanation before everyone moved onto the next person. A smaller, more effeminate man compared to the last two, he had purple eyes and long light purple hair. His lips curved in a vain, sociopathic sneer that set everyone uneasy. He wore extremely flamboyant clothing of purple and gold; if anyone were to look at him in abstract, they'd think him a royal prince. Once again like the others, he had odd markings on his body.

Ozpin leaned closer, narrowing his eyes curiously. "Who would this be...? I can't recognize him."

Beowulf growled in a mix of rage and disgust, his sclerae flashing blood-red. _**"Vermin...** **"**_ He snarled in a voice as if thousands of people were speaking through him, overshadowed by the voice of a demon. **(1)**

Everyone flinched at the angry, almost vengeful tone, looking at their host in surprise as to what could cause such disgust. They were also extremely surprised to see Beowulf's eyes turn red as blood, shivering a little at the man's surprising presence.

The man quickly regained control of himself with some effort, though his mismatched eyes still glared at the man in question on-screen. "To answer your question Ozpin...that is a man named Tyrian, one of Salem's underlings in your timeline. And the definition of chaotic evil..." Beowulf growled with barely-concealed hatred.

Jaune stared at the now named Tyrian with blatant suspicion and disgust. "He...he doesn't seem right...at all."

Ruby nodded and shivered uneasily. "Agreed..."

The next person was a definite odd one, a very old balding man, relatively dark skinned with a long white beard, that connected with his hair and his hair to his eyebrows. He had a golden prosthetic eye with the other eye being a glowing white and wore what appeared to be monk's robes. His markings were much more prominent than the previous two, colored gold and circular like circuit boards. He seemed to be sitting/clinging to a strange staff that had wheels.

Ruby tilted her head confusion. "I don't recognize this guy either...is he another one of Salem's?"

Beowulf leaned forward, resting his chin on his knuckles. "Actually no...this person is an exclusive to this universe. His name is Kalrow."

Everyone nodded and continued looking through the eight.

The next person was a woman. Fair and beautiful, she had long white hair and a perfect hourglass figure. She wore an ornate dress of golden armor, a chestplate that opened up to show her midriff, as well as armored skirt that went to her knees and high-heeled boots with leg guards. Her face was certainly beautiful, but had a noticeable scowl. Curiously, she was the only one that did not have any markings on her.

Qrow spat his whiskey out in a spit-take, gawping at the screen alongside Ironwood and Tai. Glynda blushed only slightly. "Oh...so that's me."

Beowulf gave a fanged smirk at her. "Quite."

Kali covered her smirk while Ghira smirked openly at the three men.

Summer huffed and lightly smacked her husband upside the head.

"Moving on..." Glynda said quickly, trying to get the spotlight off of herself.

The next person was a tall, older man with dark-ish skin and white hair, slicked back with a white beard and gold placated goatee. He wore white shoulder pauldrons and guards on top of a cape that fastened at his throat and draped over his upper body. Underneath was a tuxedo-like outfit with golden markings, golden armor on top of it, and had clawed gauntlets, much like Beowulf's. He had markings on his face that resembled flames and his lips were pressed in an impassive expression of sheer pride.

Ironwood raised an eyebrow in intrigue. "Oz that's you?"

Ozpin looked on in similar intrigue, confused. "No, I thought that was you?"

Beowulf stepped in to clarify. "He's a fusion of sorts between the two of you. Both in mind, and body, more or less." **(2)**

Everyone looked between the two. "Huh, what do you know?" Ruby said with a hint of surprise.

"No offense Professor-and-Mr.-Ironwood, but you look like a jerk." Yang stated bluntly, with many of the students nodding in agreement, some more than others.

Glynda gave a glare worthy of her title as Beacon's disciplinarian. "Behave children." She spoke sternly over Beowulf's quiet snickering. Ozpin sighed quietly, admitting to himself that he indeed looked like a jerk. Ironwood simply grumbled in annoyance.

The final person was one who caught everyone's attention. He was a very well built young man, maybe about the alternate Ren's age. Muscular and with etchings into his body, he was bare-chested and had whole arms made of a gold metal, carved beautifully. He wore a white and red patterned hakama that was neatly tucked into a pair of golden greaves and had a white sash. He had white hair and red eyes, and his teeth were bared in an angered snarl.

Pyrrha pointed at the man. "Look it's Jaune!" She said, blushing a little at the extremely well-built version of her crush.

Ruby blushed a bit as well, but noticed his angered state. "What's he so angry about?"

Beowulf scratched at the back of head, wincing slightly. "Honestly? A lot in this universe..."

Snapping his fingers, he made the image vanish before the screen restarted its glow. "I'll explain more as we watch. So are we ready?"

They all nodded and got comfortable in their seats as the white glow faded to reveal the scenes they would watch.

 **The scene opened to a shot of Gaea in the depths of space, slowly zooming out until the landscape of the Moon was visible. Panning out further, it showed two men standing at a distance from each other, Qrow and Jaune.**

 **Jaune was hunched over in a combat stance, snarling at Qrow angrily. His clothes were different, wearing a black hakama that was torn and uneven, one side covering his greaves while the other was tucked in. But strangely, instead of the red irises, his eyes were pure white, giving him an aura of savagery.**

 **Qrow, however, was relaxed, his arms crossed and standing tall with a smirk on his face.**

"...They're on the moon?!" Weiss exclaimed. eyes bulging at the impossible sight.

Ruby looked at the screen before shrugging. "I mean, they are demigods. They probably don't need air."

"That doesn't explain how they even got there!"

Beowulf coughed slightly. "I did mention space travel right...?"

Weiss sunk back into her seat, grumbling in annoyance at the oddness of it all.

Pyrrha noticed that the alternate Jaune's eyes were white as opposed to the red. "What happened to Jaune?"

Beowulf simply gestured towards the screen.

 **Classical music began to play as Qrow smirked a bit more. "Ahh...this will do. It's just you...and me." He spoke in a low, almost growling/gravely voice while gesturing with his hands. "Time to raise some hell!" He grinned widely, his white eyes widening as well with a hint of battlelust.**

 **Jaune got more into his stance as he prepared, for the Final Lesson.**

Jaune raised an eyebrow in intrigue. "I was Qrow's student?"

Glynda, Winter, and Ironwood stiffened, images of this version of Qrow having the responsibility of a student flashing across their minds before shuddering.

Ruby and Qrow noticed this and pouted/grumbled respectively. "He's/I'm not that bad..."

Beowulf chuckled. "He was a brutal taskmaster and a great teacher...if a little...battlehungry." It's not like Beowulf could get on his case about it. That would make him quite the hypocrite... **(3)**

Blake however, focused on something else. "What's with the music?" The feline faunus asked curiously, her cat ears twitching slightly under her bow. She kind of liked it.

The mysterious host shrugged again and smirked. "Think of it as a backdrop. Definitely makes things much cooler though." He said as a copy of the music used dropped into Blake's lap. _"Dvorak's Symphony No. 9 in E Minor...'From the New World'...I've never heard of this before. Strange..."_ **(4** **)**

 **"Now that I think of it, the last time we fought like this..." Qrow chuckled, "you were still my pupil. You were wild, unfocused, and had the eyes of a beast."**

 **Jaune seemed to be itching to fight, gritting his teeth and clenching his fists as Qrow spoke.**

 **"Even then, I knew that someday, you'd become the opponent I had been waiting for! I hope you don't disappoi-" Jaune launched forward with a roar, having lost his patience, punching Qrow in the face hard enough to create a small shock-wave around them.** **Qrow didn't even budge.**

Qrow whistled a little. "Oum damn. This other me is a badass."

"Shut up Qrow." Glynda glared at him in annoyance, before turning to Jaune. "I'm sure you know that you shouldn't be as reckless as the other you in battle, correct Mr. Arc?"

Jaune scratched at the back of his head in embarrassment. "Heh, yes Ms. Goodwitch..."

Beowulf however, frowned at this slightly, quietly disagreeing.

 **He even cracked a grin as he swept aside Jaune's fist before landing a punch in Jaune's face such that it distorted his face and sent him flying. Poor Jaune even skipped over the Moon's surface a few times before smashing into a raised part of the ground, falling to his knees.**

Everyone winced slightly, impressed at Qrow's monstrous strength, but worried for this other Jaune.

"Jaune seems more like a berserker than anything that we know. What's wrong with him?" Ren asked, concerned for his friend.

Beowulf winced slightly. "You'll see..."

Pyrrha just looked on in worry, wondering how Jaune could possibly triumph over Qrow.

 **Jaune slowly got to his feet, before a massive pillar of red, roiling energy erupted around him as he stomped his foot into the ground, settling into his battle stance. His eyes glowed with rage as he brought his arms in and let them out, somehow forming four more metal arms in a burst of red-tinged power. "QROW!" He growled loudly at his foe.**

Everyone blinked. Once. Twice. Three times.

"What?" Jaune deadpanned.

Ruby and Yang were now cheering loudly for Jaune alongside Nora while everyone sat in shock, their mouths hung open. Qrow blinked before slumping over, a rain cloud above his head as his nieces cheered against him.

Beowulf simply snickered at the avian Hunter's turmoil while continuing to stuff his face with popcorn.

 **Qrow launched himself through the air before crashing down on the moon's surface in front of Jaune, not a scratch on him. He smirked as the battle began.**

"Kick his ass Jaune!" Yang cheered, as Qrow slumped further.

Glynda frowned, but let it slide. "I'm rooting for Mr. Arc here as well."

Ironwood smirked. "Me too."

Winter chimed in as well. "Me three."

"I hate you all..."

 **Right off the bat, Qrow shot forward, orange-yellow energy surging around him as he tried to knock Jaune down. "I've waited a long time for this!"**

 **Jaune dodged before striking him with a vicious uppercut. "And you're going to get what you deserve!"**

 **The six-armed warrior fought with an unmistakable brutality as he punched at his foe with all six arms, knocking his former mentor down. Jaune snarled as he cocked three fists back and hit him with a triple-fisted uppercut, followed by another triple-fisted uppercut.**

 **Qrow was flung into the air with a groan of pain, but recovered quickly, leaping back away from Jaune before charging forwards with such speed, the ground crumbled under each step, He slammed his former student in the ribs, sending him flying once again.**

 **Once again, Jaune recovered quickly, dodging and blocking as Qrow launched into a combo of energy-charged strikes that shattered the ground.**

The audience ooh-ed and aah-ed at the battle taking place on the screen. Yang in particular was on the edge of her seat, punching at the air in excitement.

"Come on! Clap his ears with six hands! Uppercut him with three fists! Beat his ass!"

Summer and Taiyang watched her with sweatdrops. "Guess we know what else she got from Raven..." Taiyang muttered to Summer while glancing at Qrow.

The avian Hunter looked at his niece with a slight sense of horror.

 **Jaune roared as he began to somehow fire energy blasts from his fists at Qrow, not that it did much good. Qrow grinned. "This is fun! It's like hunting!"**

 **The multi-armed berserker snarled as he continued his energy barrage. "And you're the game!"**

 **Qrow launched himself forward once again, throwing a hard punch at Jaune.**

 **"How would you like to die pup?"**

 **Jaune caught the punch with two of his hands while Qrow threw another punch, once again caught by two other hands.**

 **"Don't make me laugh!"**

 **With a roar, Jaune drove one of his free fists into Qrow's chin in a brutal uppercut, sending Qrow skidding back.**

 **Suddenly, Jaune unleashed a massive burst of red energy, before charging at his enemy. "RAAGGHHH!"**

Nora cheered as she jumped up and down in her seat. "Geez this battle's really heating up!"

Beowulf smirked as he leaned forward. "You ain't seen nothing yet."

 **Jaune slammed three fists into Qrow's face, sending him sliding back a bit before he pressed the attack, throwing another punch.**

 **Qrow struck with a punch of his own, meeting Jaune's fist midway with a shockwave. The area around them was charged with orange and red energy wafting off the two combatants.**

 **With another roar, Jaune threw another punch which Qrow stopped in the same way, another shockwave shaking the ground.**

 **Qrow smirked and gave a small chuckle while Jaune gave another battlecry and pressed his attack.**

 **Jaune unleashed a massive barrage of punches, his six arms and fists merely blurs while Qrow countered with his own barrage. Every punch met fist to fist midway between the two combatants, almost leaving them matched, blow for blow.**

By now, everyone was jaw-dropped at the sheer savagery of the battle on the screen. This wasn't just two demigods fighting just for the hell of it. This was a fight to the death.

Ren asked once again, his parents also concerned. "What happened to Jaune to make him so angry?"

Beowulf sighed and pointed to the screen. "It would be better to show you instead of saying it. Keep watching."

 **Suddenly Qrow's fist slipped past Jaune's barrage, slamming him in the face. "You're beaten!" Jaune simply gritted his teeth, straining against the punch.**

 **He fell back slightly onto a back foot, before roaring in anger and giving Qrow a crushing blow to his cheek in retaliation. The punch on his face pushed the older demigod back a few feet, but he simply shot back into the fight.**

 **Once again, the screen was populated by the savage clashes of fist-to-fist battle, shockwaves shaking the dust and ground.**

"Geez, they're really getting into it!" Ruby gasped/yelled out as she watched the battle on the screen.

Jaune chuckled a little. "I'll say..." He admitted, while he watched his other on the screen with a sudden sense of disappointment and self-loathing. _"Wish I could be as strong as him..."_

What he didn't notice was that Beowulf had spotted this and frowned slightly.

 **"Fall! FALL!" Qrow bellowed as he smashed his knuckles straight into Jaune's face, pushing him back. Jaune recovered just as before, pushing off with his back foot for more force.**

 **"RRRZAAAGH!" Jaune struck hard, slamming three fists into Qrow's skull in a brutal counterattack and sending him skidding back a bit off balance, but he recovered fast and shot back in to continue the barrage deadlock.**

 **Qrow yelled out once again as he hit Jaune with a ruthless uppercut. "Scream for me!" Jaune gritted his teeth and strained against the uppercut and succeeding slightly. He snarled at his former mentor as they stared at each other with battlelust.**

 **Jaune suddenly disengaged from the deadlock before rearing back three fists and giving Qrow a uppercut of his own. "HRAAH!" Qrow flew back, using the momentum to flip back onto his feet and reenter the battle with a flurry of punches. Jaune obliged without question with his own fists.**

 **Both of the two warriors clashed in their display of brutal combat, fist striking fist with shockwaves reverberating in the ground, until...**

 **"RRRAAUGH!" Jaune let one fist slip right past Qrow's, smashing it clean into his skull and following through into a spin. Qrow flew back head over heels, skidding on his back before slamming into a few boulders. He collapsed onto a knee, panting slightly.**

"He did it!" Pyrrha cheered as she hugged Jaune with a wide smile. Jaune, however, narrowed his eyes slightly in suspicion.

Blake bit her lip slightly. "I wouldn't count Jaune's enemy out just yet...he's still there after all."

"But surely he'll stay down after a fight like that! Right...?" Willow argued as she glanced around at the room.

Beowulf gave a bark of laughter. "You thought that was the actual fight?" He smirked at the astonishment on their faces.

"Wh...what are you talking about?!" Winter shouted in surprise.

The Plasmator smirked as he turned his attention back to the screen. "That was just the warm-up." A battlehungry grin split his face, revealing his fangs while he pointed to the screen.

Ozpin quirked an eyebrow at Beowulf's expression, but shelved it and focused on the screen.

 **Qrow slowly got to his feet as a gold, ornate ring seemed to form and float behind him. He smirked as he stood tall, his orangish-yellow energy surging in a pillar around him. He breathed heavily even as he grinned. "I have had carnal knowledge of the fairest maidens in Heaven..."**

All of the adults gave Qrow a dirty look, especially Glynda and Winter. Yang burst out laughing, Weiss glared at the avian Hunter, Blake was blushing slightly, and Ruby looked simply confused.

Jaune was similarly confused while Nora and Pyrrha looked at each other with blank faces. Ren simply pinched his nose in annoyance. "Oh this can't be good..."

Qrow chuckled awkwardly while scratching at the back of his neck. "Ehehe...for the record, that's not me..?" He said, almost trying to appease everyone who was staring at him.

Winter smacked him in the back of the head. "Uncouth idiot..."

Yang wiped away a laughter tear as she smiled. "Ah that was great..."

"Yang, what does carnal knowledge mean?" Ruby asked innocently. Yang flinched and gawped like a fish out of water. "Uh...um..."

Beowulf, who had been chowing down on his popcorn, suddenly choked before laughing in earnest. "AHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

"I'd like to know too..?" Jaune said uncertainly, before Pyrrha clamped a hand over his mouth, whispering a quiet "later" into his ear.

Yang looked to her parents pleadingly before turning to Ruby. "When you're older okay...?"

The silver-eyed Huntress-in-training pouted a little. "Fine..."

 **The elder demigod grabbed his nodachi that had been on his back, spinning it in his hands, "...and tasted the finest wines of Gaea." He held the scabbard close to the guard of the sword with one hand, with the other on the sword's handle. "But none of it..."**

 **He slowly drew his blade, the name of his sword appearing on the screen. It's name: Wailing Dark**

 **"None of it-" He drew his sword in full, "excites my blood more than using my blade!" He threw the scabbard away, where it embedded itself into a rock.**

 **Qrow's grin turned downright bloodthirsty as he laughed. "HAHAHA! Prepare to meet your end, Jaune!" He roared in bloodthirsty glee as he raised his blade to the sky, his energy surging even higher than ever before.**

"...That can't be good..."

 **The scene suddenly switched to a semi-large throne room, focusing on Ozwood and Ren, now with a visor that resembled a hawk's beak. This was the throne room of the Head Deity, Ozpin. He led the Seven Deities, once known as the Eight Guardian Generals before they had betrayed Jaune. Though now their number had dwindled slightly, as out of the Seven, only Five remained: Ren, Qrow, Glynda, Tyrian, and Ozwood himself.**

The four mentioned there winced at the fact that they had betrayed Jaune in this universe, bowing their heads slightly in shame. Jaune smiled reassuringly at them. "Hey, it's alright. Different universe, remember?"

Ozpin did not agree. His old heart grew heavy. _"How many times have I sacrificed people in this war against Salem? Is it something similar here...?"_ He glanced at Beowulf, who seemed to be intentionally avoiding his gaze.

Ironwood grimaced slightly, feeling a bit of guilt himself. Betrayal was one of the worst things out there, and one that he guarded against fiercely. One of the many reasons he was so cold often times. Tin Man without a Heart indeed...And this version of him and Ozpin had done it to someone else? He closed his eyes and sighed, quietly disgusted with himself.

Beowulf sighed quietly, pinching his nose as he paused the viewing. "More context might be required here. Mantra as an energy is essentially cosmic energy produced by emotion, made from the prayers or souls of mortals. Each of these...now _former_ generals, have their own aspect of Mantra that they control. Each corresponds to an emotion or part of Mortal Nature. Port was Violence, Qrow is Greed, Ren is Melancholy, Tyrian is Vanity, Kalrow was Sloth, Glynda was...erm, Lust, Ozwood is Pride, and Jaune is Wrath. Make sense so far?"

Everyone nodded in understanding. "I see...so that's why Jaune is so angry?" Ren asked curiously.

"Erm...sort of..." Beowulf gave a half-answer, much to Ren's disappointment.

Qrow chuckled slightly as Glynda turned a faint shade of red. "Lust huh? Is there something we should know Glyn?"

If looks could kill, Glynda's stare would have been charged with war crimes. Beowulf chuckled, before becoming somber. "Ozpin's pride led him to betray Jaune and...kill him in order for him to remain out of his plans. Said plan is called 'The Great Rebirth' where all of the Grimm will be destroyed by killing the source."

The headmaster was shocked. "What? I killed him? And what do you mean 'the source'?"

Beowulf grimaced. "Jaune managed to resurrect himself, but you don't need to know that right now. And the source..." He waved a hand, summoning an image. "...is that."

Everyone's jaws dropped in awed horror.

A massive face, large enough to take up a continent and formed from lava, bone, and black Grimm fluid engulfed the side of Gaea, with enormous black snakes erupting in a ring around it. The snakes were huge, with bonelike structures on their heads, lava red eyes, and power floating from their mouths. The face itself resembled an ape's fused with a wolf's. It was simply horrifying. **(5)**

"What...the hell...is that?!" Ironwood stared in horror at this...this...abomination!

"That, is Vlitra. An embodiment of the Planet's rage and negative emotion. That is what Ozpin seeks to destroy." Beowulf clicked his fingers, the image vanishing in an instant. However, out of sight did not mean out of mind. Shivers ran down their spines at the visual they had seen.

"But I digress. Let's continue?" The Plasmator asked as he resumed the viewing.

 **Ozwood sat upon his throne quietly, Ren standing by his side. He suddenly looked up, sensing the tremendous fight on the moon. "Jaune forced his hand."**

 **Ren seemed somewhat impressed by this, though it was difficult to see any form of emotion behind the visor. "The only person Qrow has ever drawn his sword against is you, my Lord. ...Is he that powerful...?"**

 **"Hmph...how interesting..."**

 **Meanwhile, Qrow raised his mighty blade as the music began anew. He gave a mighty roar as his Mantra surged around him like a coiling pillar of strength and power.**

Winter was somewhat skeptical. "Why would it be such a huge deal for him to be using a sword all of a sudden?"

Ironwood leaned forward, resting his chin on his metal fist. "It must be something...after all, if it's so important as to be named and if Ozpin, the Leader seemed to have trouble with it, there must be something strange about it..."

"Pffft, come on, it's just an ordinary looking katana! It doesn't even have any mecha-shifting or whatever!" Yang laughed a little.

 **"RAAH!" Qrow swung his blade down, sending a blade-like column/wave of energy slicing through the air and ground in front of him. It cut like a hot knife through butter as it cleaved through the terrain, Jaune barely dodging it as it zipped past him. He** **gritted his teeth as his hands clenched into fists.**

 **The old swordsman grinned. "Show me what you're made of." He taunted loudly, before disappearing in a split second and reappearing above Jaune. His sword was raised high, ready to split Jaune in two.**

 **"Jaune!" He roared as he brought the blade down without hesitation. Acting quickly, Jaune stopped the with all six hands, clapping them around the blade to keep it from bisecting him down the middle. He grimaced as the sword's orange-yellow edge shimmered with power, as if singing for a taste of his blood.**

 **With a groan of effort that morphed into a battlecry, he strained against the blade, slowly pushing it to the side before letting go and letting the sword hit the ground beside him.**

 **The entire terrain shifted as the blade cleaved through the ground effortlessly, slicing clean through a hundred yard portion of their battlefield and shifting up into some form of wall.**

 **As the dust cleared, Qrow kneeled in a warrior's pose, his sword in his hand behind him. Jaune landed a few meters away from him, getting to his feet while his lips bared his teeth in an expression of rage and slight awe.**

Everyone slowly turned to stare at Yang, who was gawping at the awesome power of Wailing Dark. "Just an ordinary sword huh?" Blake deadpanned, quirking an eyebrow somewhat mockingly.

"...shut up..." Yang grumbled quietly, crossing her arms.

Ruby squealed with stars in her eyes. "GIMME GIMME GIMME!" She exclaimed as she made grabby hands at the screen.

"Maybe later Ruby," Beowulf said in a soothing tone in order to calm her down.

 **Qrow smirked as he began to show just why he was considered one of the most powerful of the Seven Deities, and the greatest swordsman...period. "Don't die yet!" He taunted as he unleashed a ring of blade-like columns around him, expanding outwards.**

 **Jaune dodged and weaved in between them, firing off Mantra blasts from his fists with a snarl curling his lips. "You wish!" He rushed forward in a flare of red light, pummeling the swordsman with six sets of metal knuckles.**

 **The elder demigod simply vanished before appearing above Jaune, his nodachi raised in an overhead strike.**

 **"You are worthy of my blade!" He shouted as he brought the sword down. Jaune simply slipped out of the way before countering with a barrage of strikes to his side, knocking him back. "Go to Hell!"**

 **Recovering with haste, Qrow sent a cutting wave of Mantra energy at Jaune, roaring with laughter as he reveled in the thrill of battle. "You need to enjoy this a bit more!"**

 **Jaune just leapt clean over it, his face contorted in fury. He bellowed as he once again pummeled his former mentor, alternating fists to devastating effect before smashing into him with all six. "You need to shut up and DIE!"**

 **Qrow was sent flying, but recovered quickly, launching wave after wave of cutting orange-yellow Mantra from Wailing Dark. Jaune dodged and weaved through them, snarling as his fists clenched and opened, each one of them eagerly awaiting the chance to brutalize their user's foe.**

By now, even Weiss was starting to get into the action of it all, cheering for the Jaune on-screen, albeit in a more subdued way. "Even with that sword, there's no way Qrow can beat Jaune as he is now. He's just launching waves of energy with it!"

Blake, however, didn't think so. Her bow twitched as she scrunched up her nose in suspicion. "It feels like he's hiding something, I wouldn't count him out just yet. After all, he's supposed to be Jaune's former teacher, and considering how powerful Jaune is...well yeah."

Qrow simply took sips from his flask, both smirking at being such a badass in this universe and semi-pissed that no one was cheering for him.

Beowulf chuckled as he stuffed his face with popcorn alongside Ruby, Yang, and Nora.

 **Suddenly, Qrow's energy surged as he gripped his sword in both hands, raising it high above his head. Wailing Dark's blade extended outwards, easily reaching 100 meters in length as the energy swirled around it. He grinned almost maniacally at Jaune, who simply growled. "Just die already Old Man!"**

 **"I'm just getting started!" The swordsman cleaved downwards, intent on splitting Jaune down the middle.**

 **Jaune clapped four hands together, stopping the blade just above his head, and roared a rousing battlecry before rushing forward, his metal arms screeching against the blade's sides. He was swift in his rage, pushing the sword aside and landing three ruthless punches to Qrow's temple, all arms on the same side of his body.**

Jaune gave a low whistle. "Damn, that's a good counterattack."

 **Qrow recovered quickly, moving with a swiftness that surpassed even Jaune's sight to track, landing brutal slashes on his foe's torso.**

 **Jaune grimaced as he disengaged, looking down at his body to see a few cuts, baring circuitry and metal instead of blood and gore.**

"Wait what?! Is Fearless Leader a robot?!" Nora shouted out, her eyes wide in shock. Everyone else looked on with similar expressions, though some were more concerned with the cuts themselves.

Beowulf made a 'so-so' motion. "Eeeh...I'm not too sure. Frankly, my theory is that the Mantra, when manipulated over a long period of time, like the demigods do, it slowly converts their bodies into metals and robotics to withstand their power. Just a theory though, but it makes sense considering the other things..." His voice trailed off into muttering before he shook his head. "But anyway, let's continue."

 **He looked back up with a menacing snarl, launching himself forward with a burst of red Mantra energy. Rearing back three fists, he bellowed in rage before driving all three into Qrow's face, chest, and lower torso.**

 **Qrow flew back, crashing into the ground. He quickly flipped back onto his feet, skidding back with his blade to the side before looking up with a savage grin. "HA HA HA! This is what I LIVE for!" He brandished his nodachi with his energy surging around him again, "this is why we exist!" He then leveled the tip of his blade at Jaune in the distance.**

 **"But all good things must come to an end! You knew this was coming!" The blade was still for a moment, before shooting out, extending at an alarming rate towards Jaune, the orange-yellow energy of Greed Mantra dancing along the edge.**

"OH SHIT!"

"Language Miss Xiao-Long!"

"Move Jaune! Move!" Pyrrha cried out, almost sure that she was going to see her crush be impaled.

Jaune seemed to chuckle nervously. "I would be but my other...I don't think he's the type to run."

 **As the blade accelerated towards him, Jaune gritted his teeth in anticipation, readying himself. He reacted quickly, stopping the blade's tip just centimeters from his face with all six arms. "HRAH-ARGH!" He grunted as he kept the blade from stabbing him through the face, even as it pushed him back with its continued extension.**

 **He struggled for a foothold to halt himself, but no such luck. Jaune's feet lifted off the ground as the blade pushed. Qrow had both hands on his sword's handle, panting a little but still grinning his bloodthirsty grin. "This is where real men belong! In the fight!"**

 **"I don't give a damn!" Jaune shouted back, his metal arms creaking and groaning as they struggled against Wailing Dark, a form of blood-like oil sputtering out from the hands. He continued to struggle with his feet, scraping across the moon's surface.**

 **"Only the strong survive!" Qrow thrust his sword forward, the blade continuing to extend. "I taught you that much!"**

 **"That is not for you to decide!"**

 **A horrible metallic groaning was heard before two of Jaune's arms, the upper two, finally gave in to the pressure, flying off at the shoulder stumps in a shower of golden-red oil. But Jaune refused to give up, and continued to hold the blade back with his remaining four arms.**

Everyone gasped in horror of Jaune's apparent dismemberment. "His arms!" Ruby yelled as she hugged Yang a little.

Ironwood gripped his metal arm, grimacing slightly. "That's not good, at this rate he'll...!"

"He can do it. I know he can." Ren stated quietly and calmly. Li nodded in agreement with his son. "Jaune Arc won't go down that easily."

Weiss was more concerned with something else. "WHAT THE HELL IS HAPPENING?!"

"How long is that sword, geez?!" Taiyang whistled in amazement.

 **By now, Jaune was off the ground, hurtling towards Gaea as the blade pushed him back. Qrow rushed forward, his energy wafting around him before he leapt towards the planet as well.**

 **Jaune's body was starting to heat up as he began to enter the atmosphere, a trail of forming around his body. He gritted his teeth as the heat seared his pain receptors.**

 **"Ha ha ha. Only one fighter can walk away alive!" Qrow shouted down to him with a grin.**

 **"I'll rip out your blind eyes!"**

 **As his body heated, the strain became too much, and the two other arms ripped away from Jaune's shoulders, incinerated by the sheer heat of entry. By now the sword was ridiculously long, reaching at LEAST 300,000 kilometers at this point.**

Everyone's jaws were on the ground in awe at this point.

"Holy Oum, I take back everything I said about this universe being boring."

"Same here."

"Agreed."

Beowulf grinned as the semi-pompous Atlesians ate their words.

 **Qrow braced himself against the heat of entering the atmosphere, bellowing once more. "I don't fight for good, and I don't fight for evil. I just fight!"**

 **"I will say it once more...I am you, and you are me!"**

 **Jaune's eyes widened in shock before he thought to himself.**

 **What was he fighting for? Just for the sake of fighting like his former mentor? No! He knew in his heart what he fought for, his redemption! His revenge for being framed by Ozpin of killing the emperor! But no...it was deeper than that.**

 _ **Visions and memories passed through his mind.**_

 _ **He saw his family, his wife Blake and young daughter, Ruby. They smiled as he greeted them in front of the house, and he smiled back with his old red eyes. He held his daughter in his arms and knew that no harm would ever come to her. He swore it.**_

Jaune's eyes bulged in shock as he stared at the screen. "WHAT?!"

Blake blushed fiercely, her ears twitching erratically under her bow and her face turning red. "I'm his wife?!"

"Yep! It's funny honestly, you were one of the few who could keep him under control in this universe." Beowulf gave a mischievously toothy grin. Pyrrha stared in shock, before glaring at the cat faunus, her green eyes smoldering in jealous rage. Blake gave her a nervous chuckle. "Erm...not me?"

Pyrrha continued glaring at Blake, who wilted slightly under her stare. Beowulf smiled again, his eyes twinkling in amusement. " Now now, play nice! I did say that he would have many relationships throughout these universes, didn't I?"

The red-haired spartan frowned deeply, but relented with a sigh. After all, she couldn't expect Jaune to love her in every universe. The feline faunus sighed quietly, her eyes conveying a silent sense of relief to the Plasmator.

Ruby looked at the screen curiously, before smiling. She did see Jaune as the older brother she never had, so this wasn't much different. She smiled at Jaune. "You'd make a great dad Jaune!"

Jaune went red as steam blew out his ears while Pyrrha blushed as well, quietly scheming in her mind.

 _ **He saw his wife, Blake, dying in his arms with him helpless to stop it...he could see her pain even now as her lifeblood drained from her. "Jaune...Save her..."**_

 _ **"I will..."**_

 _ **He saw her smile, one last time, before her eyes grew dull and lifeless. His rage, his grief burning red in his heart...**_

 _ **He saw h**_ _ **is daughter Ruby, the High Priestess who could amplify Mantra, a key part of Ozwood's plans, his "Great Rebirth", crying as she was trapped in the cryochamber, helpless as he died at Ozpin's hand.**_

 _ **"No! Father!"**_

 _ **Ozwood's smirk as he fell from Orbit fueled his rage. "Let her go! I SAID LET HER GO!"**_

 _ **He felt the pain of reentry as his body burned. His rage burned even more. "RRRAAAUGH! I WILL HAVE MY VENGEANCE!"**_

 _ **He saw himself awakening in Naraka, the Spider whispering in his ear. And the crying...his daughter was crying and he could hear it...he could hear it! He would make it stop! He had made a promise! He had made a promise to Blake!**_ **(6)**

The mood had changed drastically, turning somber. It was like watching the universe with Jaune as the Master all over again.

Beowulf sighed quietly, turning to Ren and Pyrrha. "You wanted to know why he was like this and why he was so angry. That, is why."

Pyrrha was at a loss. Tears ran down her cheeks as she stared at the screen. "Poor Jaune..."

Ren was similarly in shock, staring blankly at the screen. How could his alternate do this do Jaune?

Ozpin's heart sank. He had been right. His foolishness had done it again, and had ruined lives once again with his plans. Beowulf frowned at him, but said nothing, opting to speak to him later.

Ironwood paled in horror. It was no secret that he had plans and strategies of his own and that he was often straightforward to the point of brute force...but this? This was madness! This was... _sickening..._

Qrow was disgusted with his other's actions. Plain and simple. To follow and go through with all of this cruelty? "Disgusting..." He spat. Taiyang nodded in agreement, gritting his teeth at seeing his daughter's alternate shedding tears.

Jaune's eyes burned with justified rage. No one was allowed to toy with his family. With his seven sisters, he knew the value of family, and even though this was another universe, he knew that his other would make. Them. Pay. He saw the tears on Ruby's face and his heart clenched.

Ruby watched with horror as she saw Jaune fall, hugging Yang close. Yang was furious as the Ruby on-screen cried out in despair, but she could do nothing but comfort her own version.

Beowulf noted all of this quietly, resuming the viewing without a word. _"_ _Better to toughen them up a bit for what they would have to deal with against Salem."_

 **He snarled as he returned to the fight at hand, his eyes flaring with newfound rage. "I am NOTHING like you!"**

 **The scene suddenly cut to a visual of reentry, a burning hot ball of fire falling down to Gaea with the sword appearing like some sort of tail. One young onlooker watched and opened her mouth in awe as the object fell.**

"Wait...that's Ruby though!" Summer shouted, pointing at the screen with her eyes wide in confusion.

Beowulf shook his head. "Actually no. She's...um..." He muttered to himself, scratching at his head before continuing. "It's actually just a coincidence. Don't worry about that."

Summer didn't seem convinced, but let it go.

 **Jaune slammed into the ground violently, cratering the area around him due to his reentry. Unfortunately, the impact broke off one of his remaining two arms, shattering it like glass. Wailing Dark's blade pierced through his stomach and he could hear metallic screeching as it slid through his body. He gasped and grunted in pain, his eyes widening.**

"Jaune!"

"NO!"

Jaune growled as he hit his armrest. "Don't die here damn it!"

 **The scene cut again to the other side of the planet, as the tip of Qrow's blade erupted from the ground. Wailing Dark's blade was now so long, it had literally skewered the planet itself!**

Kali gasped in awe. "Dear Oum..."

 **Qrow yelled as he gripped his sword, falling towards Jaune with frightening speed. "Then tell me! How are we so different?!"**

 **Jaune grunted in pain, gritting his teeth as a vision came to him again.**

 _ **His daughter Ruby, looking at him with hope and worry. His promise!**_

 **"...You wouldn't understand, even if I send you to Naraka!"**

"Such resolve..." Glynda watched in awe as the alternate version of her student stood strong and unrelenting in the face of danger.

Beowulf nodded. "It is a trait that Jaune has in many, if not all universes. Willpower in spades."

Ozpin smiled, "My choice for a leader of JNPR was sound indeed."

Glancing at the rest of the group, Beowulf could see that everyone was awed by the Demigod Jaune's actions and will. He could see a resolve of their own start to form within them as well, and he smiled inwardly. _"Perfect. They'll need that if they want to save their world...now we'll have to strengthen it further."_

Ruby punched at the air, cheering loudly. "Kick his butt Jaune!"

 **Qrow's eyes widened in glee. "HA HA! Ha ha ha ha ha...then make me understand with your fists, Jaune!" He goaded as he hurtled down towards Jaune's impaled body.**

 **Jaune gritted his teeth as he slowly raised his head and remaining arm. He snarled as he clenched his fist, rearing it back as far as he could before letting it fly. "RRRRAUGH!" He slammed his fist into the blade.**

 **The blade shattered a few inches above the guard, along with his own arm. Qrow suddenly lost his grip on his nodachi's handle. It spun in the air as Jaune got to his feet. He was now armless, but he was free. Free to finally end this!**

 **Jaune rushed forward, grabbing the handle in his teeth and moving himself into a spin. Building up speed, he swung the blade into Qrow's stomach without mercy. Oil gushed and sprayed out from the wound as Qrow gasped and grunted in pained shock.**

 **Metallic screeching could be hurt as Jaune pushed further, ripping through his foe's torso as he followed through on his slash. He finished his spin, turned away from his enemy as Qrow fell to the ground, oily ichor spilling from his wounds.**

 **He panted heavily before turning back** **with the sword still in his teeth,** **to his former mentor, now laying on the ground. Qrow had been defeated.**

"He did it! He beat him!" Ruby and Pyrrha cheered as everyone clapped in joy. Jaune smiled and leaned back in his chair, somewhat satisfied.

 **"Ha ha...ha ha ha..." Qrow gave a satisfied, croaking laugh deep in his chest. He smiled as he panted in exertion. "Yes...that was one hell of a battle!"**

 **He slowly pushed himself up a little to look at Jaune, who spat out the sword. "What now? Where will that anger take you?"**

 **Qrow's breathing began to grow heavy. "You are not me...yet you continue to fight..."**

 **Jaune looked back suddenly, noticing that the village girl who resembled his daughter so much had come. She smiled softly, whispering some form of encouragement that couldn't be heard.**

 **The elder demigod collapsed a little as his breathing grew heavier and weaker. "You no longer need my training..." He spoke, reaching out a little as if giving his blessing. "The one who stands in the end, is righteous..."**

 **Jaune's face, once filled with rage, was now impassive. Qrow was his enemy, but he had also been his master...his teacher...a friend and a father in some strange way. He watched Qrow carefully, taking in every word.**

 **Qrow's lips curled into a different smile now. Not the bloodthirsty grin, or the cocky smirk, but a true smile of pride. His breathing was now thready and weak. He would die in only a few moments. "Jaune...walk the path that you must..."**

 **The hand that had been outstretched fell limply to the ground. Qrow, one of the strongest of the Seven Deities and former Guardian Generals, was dead. He smiled in death, his body slowly vanishing in a swirl of light.**

The audience couldn't help but watch with a sense of sadness as the old demigod breathed his last, imparting his final wisdom to his pupil. "What do you know?" Qrow said quietly, drawing everyone's attention.

"Looks like the other me did have some honor...still, never thought I'd be cheering when seeing someone kick my ass."

Everyone chuckled and smiled, the mood lifting considerably.

Pyrrha smiled at her own Jaune. "You did it Jaune. You beat him!"

Jaune smirked playfully with mock cockiness. "Yeah, I did. Guess I'll have to train harder if I want to beat things like that huh?"

She giggled softly and he smiled. _"Wow her giggling is cu-nope! Bad thoughts!"_

 **Jaune watched as his former teacher dissipated into tiny motes of light, solemnly. Suddenly, a clap of thunder shook the ground, startling him. He looked around, searching for the cause, before turning around. The girl had run down to stand next to him, her arms close to her chest in worry.**

 **The demigod's eyes narrowed in hatred. He had found the cause.**

 **A massive lightning storm was underway, thousands of miles away. But what had caught his attention was what was underneath the dark storm clouds.**

 **Its footsteps shook the ground as it walked. It was enormous, easily a skyscraper's height and just as wide. It had the body of a land turtle, its feet tipped with claws and a long tail swaying behind it, and the head of a cobra, it's hood blotting out the sunlight and hissing menacingly. The shell on its back was black, along with most of its body, except for spikes that jutted out, tipped in bleach-white bone. It had similar white markings on its hood and its eyes glowed a hateful red. (7)**

Everyone paled in horror as they beheld the new abomination of a Grimm. "Brothers above..." Ghira swore as he watched the screen.

 **The girl fell to her knees in despair, her face saying everything. Her village would be destroyed if this thing wasn't killed...**

 **Jaune growled softly.**

Yang chuckled. "Trust Jaune to not leave anyone behind and to do whatever it takes to help."

Everyone agreed wholeheartedly, with everyone smiling at the young knight. Jaune blushed faintly and looked away.

 **He stomped his foot on what remained of Wailing Dark, sending it spiraling into the air before grabbing it with his teeth. "I'm borrowing this..." He muttered as he walked toward the beast, before starting into a run. With a growl, he charged straight into hell.**

The lights grew in brightness again as the screen dimmed. The orb pulled itself out of the screen with a little ripple before floating back to its proper place in the walls.

"That...was...AWESOME!" Nora cheered as she clapped.

Beowulf gave her a toothy smirk. "Glad you liked it Nora, considering that you're the one who picked it."

Jaune was a bit more subdued. "It was alright, but a bit weird. Almost seemed like it was ripped out of a video game."

"Pffft..." The godlike being seemed to pale for a second before shaking it off. "Very funny Jaune."

"I do feel bad for that version's backstory though. To lose one's wife and child to such betrayal..." Willow spoke softly, feeling sorrow deep in her heart.

"Don't worry, there's a happy ending. We can revisit this universe later if you like?" Beowulf spoke kindly, his mismatched eyes twinkling.

Surprisingly, Weiss nodded in approval. "I know that I would like to see it again." Winter agreed, albeit with more subtlety.

Yang smirked teasingly. "Awe, and Weiss-cream over here was so against seeing this universe!" Weiss glared at the blonde brawler, who laughed.

Beowulf grinned at the children having fun, absent-mindedly pulling a crystalline pocket watch as it buzzed slightly from the inner pockets of his coat. Clicking it open to check inside, his grin vanished, his eyes narrowing as his sclerae flared red. He clicked it closed, putting it back into his coat and composing himself.

Ozpin, Ruby, and Jaune had noticed, but decided that now was not the time to mention it.

The headmaster of Beacon was pensive, looking down at his feet. This universe had been something of a wake-up call. His other had created a plan to save humanity and the world from the Grimm, but he had done so at the expense of many. He had done it simply to remove a possible obstacle. Had he done something similar..?

His heart sunk as he realized, yes. Yes he had. True it had not been as cruel or bold-faced as his alternate had done, but he had sacrificed people in his secret war on Salem. Ozpin's grip on the armrest tightened. _"No more. This secret war will end and I will do it right. No more secrets like this, no more sacrificing 'pawns'. I am not Salem."_

Looking back up and turning to Beowulf on his throne, he saw that the man was regarding him with impassivity, his face an expressionless mask. He tilted his head curiously, before nodding, as if seeing something that he approved of.

Ironwood had gone through something similar to his friend. _"I cannot be so thick-headed and brute forced from now on. I understand now why Ozpin and the others don't always agree...I cannot do something such as what I decided in that universe."_

He didn't notice Beowulf glancing at him and nodding in approval.

"So how many more universes are we watching before we take a break?" Blake asked, currently occupied with her new piece of music given by Beowulf.

He 'hmmed' softly, resting his chin on his fist. "I think we'll see three more and take a break. That sound fair?"

They all nodded and the fanged entity grinned. "Great!"

Beowulf plopped himself down on his throne, closing his eyes and holding a hand out as the orbs embedded in the walls and pillars, pulsated with light.

"No...no not that one either...nope... _definitely_ not...heh maybe that one later...ooh this one is good!" He exclaimed as his eyes opened. One orb pulled itself free from a wall and zipped into Beowulf's waiting hand, hovering quietly.

He peered into it with a grin, the color of the orb shifting and flashing in a chaotic array of colors. "Yes, you will do quite nicely..." He seemed to giggle almost maniacally.

"...should we be worried?" Jaune asked, somewhat concerned.

Beowulf chuckled and waved him off. "Oh no, no no...let's just see how good you are at decision-making, because this one is interactive...hope you like Stick Figures though." He gave a, frankly sinister, wide grin.

Glynda sighed and rubbed the bridge of her nose. "This cannot end well..."

The students laughed at the deputy headmistress's expense and Beowulf smiled. But in the corner of his mind, the message that had been in that "pocket watch" weighed on his mind more than a little.

 _"Chaos stirring from slumber. Talk soon."_

 _V_ **(8)**

* * *

 **AN: ...I'll be honest with you, that ending seems weak to me, but I honestly can't think of much else. Again, sorry for taking so long for this one, but you all know how school is.**

 **Also, this next universe is based in certain series of stick-man flash games, and I'll be setting up a poll on which one of the series I should choose**

 **Anywho, thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed the chapter!**

 **Reviews and constructive criticism are the fuel of my creative engines!**

* * *

 **Footnotes:**

 **(1) Another glimpse at the "Monster" that Beowulf thinks of himself. How intriguing no? You'll get to see more of that during the break chapter I'm sure...as for what he sounds like, imagine a Blood Angel Space Marine, but combined with with Mordekaiser from League of Legends, remove some of the mechanical sound, and add in a thousand voices as if multiple people speak through him, and amplify till intimidating. Yeah.**

 **(2) For those who have played the game, I found that Deus was very similar in more ways than one to Ozpin and Ironwood. Ozpin tends to make plans that are very far-reaching, chessmaster-ish, and has a penchant for being mysterious and all, while Ironwood responds with brute force and tends not to care for potential consequences. Both of these seemed to fit together pretty well to serve as a substitute for Deus.**

 **(3) Will be expanded on later, see (1)**

 **(4) Blake seems to be a bit of curious cat here. She'll get her answers soon enough as to why she can't recognize it...**

 **(5) Look up a picture of Gohma Vlitra from the game, but give it a Grimm look and you get the gist.**

 **(6) This wasn't in the original fight but I wanted to add it in to give context for the group as to what had happened to Jaune in this universe and why he was so full of rage.**

 **(7) Same deal as Vlitra, look up a Gohma Striker, but add a Grimm aesthetic to it.**

 **(8) Hmmm...more Plasmatores? Or maybe just allies of our host? Something big is coming though, it looks like.**

 **Welp, that's that! Thanks for reading guys!**

 **Toodles,**

 **Beowulf.**

 **Next** **Time:**

"They are Rage, Brutal, without Mercy...but you... **you will be worse..."**


	4. Apology of sorts

**AN: I live!**

 **Right, as the chapter name suggests, I owe my readers an apology regarding this fic. College hit me hard over the head with work and various projects, and I just couldn't find time to get to work on this story I made.**

 **With that being said, the semester seems to be winding down and I find that I have more time to work. With that being said, my writing brain somewhat deserted me regarding what was meant to be the next chapter according to polls: which was Escaping the Prison. It just wasn't clicking as well as I'd hoped.**

 **So, I will be postponing that chapter in particular in favor of other topics. However, do not despair! I will be posting relatively soon once I've finished. I prefer you guys get a solid chapter to read as opposed to a rushed one.**

 **With that being said, toodles!**

 **Beowulf**


End file.
